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Entered according- to the Act of Congress, in the year 1850, by 

Z. ONION McCOMAS, 

In the Clerk's Office, of the District Court of Maryland. 



TO THE READER. 

The design of the Author of these pages is to call the atten- 
tion of Mankind from the corruptions of Christianity, back to 
the eternal and immutable truths, as taught by the Lord Jesus 
Christ, and to defend the " Protestant Declaration, " against the 
arrogant and unfounded assumptions of the clergy, and no more. 

The reader is earnestly requested to peruse his effort with 
calm attention and impartiality. 

"If ye continue in my words, ye shall know the Truth, and the Truth 
shall make yoa frse."— Christ. 



ERRATA. 

Page 58, 17th line from top, for bitten, read bitter. 
" 73, 4:h « « bottom, for Heirs, read Heir. 
" 95,11th « " top, for labors, read labor. 
^ 128, 15th " « bottom, for disputer, read disputers. 
'157,13th " " top, for gorgon, read jargon. 
1 269, 14th " « top, for militate, read militant 
i( 309, 19th « « top, for 779, read 279. 



"9 



A TREATISE 



ON 



CHRISTIANITY; 



VINDICATING THE PROTESTANT DECLARATION: 



-THE HOLY SCRIPTURES ARE THE ONLY, AND A SUFFICIENT RULE 
OF A CHRISTIAN'S FAITH AND PRACTICE ;" 

AND DEMONSTRATING 

THAT THE INDISSOLUBLE UNITY, AND THE 

INFALIBILITY OF THE "CHRISTIAN CHURCH" ARE 

CLEARLY TAUGHT IN THE SCRIPTURES AS A VITAL DOCTRINE OF 

CHRISTIANITY, AND AS ESSENTIAL TO THE PROGRESS 

AND PERPETUITY OF THE "KINGDOM OF GOD ;" 

AND THAT THE " ORDER OF CLERGi'" IS A REMNANT OF THE PAPAL 
APOSTAC Y ; HOSTILE TO CHRISTIANITY, AND DESTRUC- 
TIVE OF THE PURPOSE OF GOD, IN GIVING A 
REVELATION TO THE WORLD. 



BY ZACCHEUS ONION M' COM AS, 



HAGERSTOWN: 

PRINTED BY HEARD & DURDY. 
1850. 



WITHDRAWN 

JUNl 9 1919 



INTRODUCTION. 



Whether or not the minds of men differ as much as do their 
countenances, we are not prepared to say; but that they do ma- 
terially differ, both in capacity and in pursuits, is manifestly true. 
So that there is an identity of intellect, as well as of personal 
appearance; and this difference presents itself in varied degrees 
of power, and in the various pursuits in life. 

The author of these pages, has ever been of a reflecting and 
thoughtful cast of mind'; but like all youths, in his younger 
days, was confiding and unsuspicious; and supposed that all 
men were what they professed to be. The great subject of 
Religion occupied his thoughts at a very early day, perhaps at 
eight years of age. A few years after this, the Methodists 
began to attract attention. They being converted, and made 
the children of God, with an assurance of the fact, through 
" The witness of the Spirit," struck his attention with much 
force. Surely, thought we, they must be a happy people — a 
highly favored people. For we, in the simplicity of our hearts, 
thought that all who professed to enjoy that high relation, did 
so in reality! Oh, how much we envied such their happiness; 
and we resolved, and re-resolved, to seek after the like favor 
and privilege; but being of a retiring and bashful disposition, 
we kept the secret of our heart to ourself ; and the same self- 
seclusion prevented us from such observations, as would easily 
have detected the falacy of the professions of a large majority of 



IT INTRODUCTION. 



• *. 



those who fancied they were the children of God, " and born of 
the Spirit." Jn this deception, is clearly seen the imminent danger 
of trusting to the excitability of the feelings, instead of all per* 
sons measuring their experience by the only true standard, the 
word of God. There they would learn that "he that is born of 
God, sineth not, because His seed remaineth in him, therefore, 
he cannot sin;" and, also, "if any man have not the spirit cf 
Christ, he is none of His." It is impossible to be deceived, if 
all men will learn of Christ — absolutely, impossibly. "The tree 
is known by its fruity This is the only safe criterion of 
judging. 

About the eighteenth year of his age, the author's earlier 
religious impressions became more intense and permanently set- 
tled. But the leading object of our aspirations being enter- 
tained only by the Methodists, to them, therefore, we looked, as 
the only persons who could aid our enquiries. Here, in our 
own experience, is seen the fatal effects of the claims of the 
Clergy, as "divinely authorized to expound the word of God," 
For to them we were instructed to look, as indispensibh aids in 
understanding the Scriptures ; and their claim clearly implies 
this, and so the people are taught, practically taught to beliere, 
and so ive cordially believed. By this fatal delusion, thus en- 
gendered, and strengthened by Clerical assumptions, the minds 
of the people are diverted from the plain and practical teachings 
of Christ and his Apostles, to fables, and the speculations of 
uninspired and interested men! To the Methodist Preachers 
then, we did confidently look, as those specially commissioned 
by God to teach men the way of Salvation! For so they all 
claimed to be, and so we firmly believed ! And we as firmly 
believed too, that we were the disciple of Christ. What a fatal 
delusion ! But we did not see it at that time — yea, we would 
hare been seriously offended if told otherwise. 

In this faith we united ourself to the Methodist E. Church, 
in Hagerstown, and in her communion we remained, perhaps 
twenty years. Of the sincerity of our profession, and the devo- 



INTRODUCTION. V 

tedness oi our life, many living witnesses can testify, if they will; 
as also, of our efforts to maintain the purity of the Church, by 
precept and by example. Excuse us this boasting ; but it is pro- 
per under our circumstances, that we should say thus much. Of 
the peculiarity of their government, we knew nothing and thought 
nothing ; but if we had known all about it, we were too young, 
inexperienced and confiding, to discover its falacy, or its danger- 
ous tendency. And, moreover, in our simplicity, we esteemed 
all the Preachers as the chosen servants of the most High; and, 
of consequence, all holy and disinterested men, as governed and 
led by the Spirit of God, and who would prefer death, rather 
than be guilty of any injustice! And so they would, if they 
were what they so confidently affirmed of themselves. And this 
delusive faith was begotten and matured from the pulpits. Often 
have we heard discourses, setting forth this awful claim: "Gcd 
hath committed to us the word of reconciliation ; now, then, we 
are Ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by 
us, we pray you, in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God!" 
At that day not a doubt crossed our mind of its truth ; and, con- 
sequently, we never investigated the claim, to ascertain its truth 
or falsehood. These supposed chosen messengers of Heaven, 
said it was so, and therefore, it must be true, for they would not 
deceive us. We had read in the Scriptures, that Christ had 
commissioned seventy Disciples, and sent them, two and two, to 
announce His approach to the various towns of Judea; but if 
we had been correctly instructed, we would have been told that 
their mission was confined to a very limited extent, as to time 
and place. Judea is not so extensive as some one of the States 
of this Union, and the time occupied by them was not more than 
a few weeks perhaps, and we hear no more of them ; and we 
also read in the Scriptures, that Christ commissioned his Apos- 
tles, and properly qualified them to proclaim his Gospel to all 
men, through all time. Now, these Preachers said, and all the 
Clergy now say, that they are embraced in that commission, yea, 
and in that to the Seventy also ! They forget to tell their hear- 



r * iiftllODtJCffOK, 

5erSj that if embraced in the mission of the Seventy, or of the* 
Apostles, reason and common sense teaches that the qualifica- 
tions of these messengers must also be implied! But as it is 
impossible for these assumed u Ambassadors oi Christ" to claim 
the latter, they are prudently dumb on that subject! But, that 
it is all a vain and arrogant assumption on their part, the follow- 
ing pages will amply prove. Their claim will be found to 
be based on this flimsy hypothesis, viz: That inasmuch as the 
Apostles were commanded to proclaim the Gospel to all the 
world, and to the end of time; therefore, a succession is neces- 
sarily implied. This is true; but it does not follow , that the 
" Order of Clergy" are those implied successors. If tbey had 
candidly sought for the legitimate successors of the Apostles ? 
they would have found them possessing, as they necessarily must,, 
the same infallibility of the Apostles; and such are the u Holy 
Scriptures." The "Sacred Order" also claim to be the successors 
of the Eldership; an office entirely distinet, and having no con- 
nection with the Apostolic commission, or that of the Seventy* 
This also will be made plain* It will also be demonstrated in 
these pages, that the claims of the " Order," are destructive of 
the leading purpose of God in giving the world a Revelation. 

"He that never doubted, never believed." As strange as this 
may appear, nevertheless it is true; for he that never doubts the 
truth of any proposition, is not likely to give himself much 
trouble to examine its merits. We have proved the truth of it 
in our own experience, for we cordially believed the claims of 
the Clergy to be founded in truth, until we were compelled to 
doubt them. But facts, irresistible facts, opened our eyes to the 
glaring delusion I These thick clouds of error, made still more 
dense by early instruction, and the tacit acknowledgment of 
whole nations for centuries, and supported by a host of learned, 
and some good men too, were not penetrated or dispelled in a 
day, or a few years. Neither were the first dawnings of suspicion 
encouraged by us; but it was after an intimate acquaintance, and 
a long personal intercourse with these " Legates of the Skies," 



INTRODUCTION. VII 

these " Ambassadors of Christ," that excited our doubts of the 
truth of these Rev. Gentlemen's high pretensions ! We at length 
began to suspect, but very timidly at first, that possibly there 
might be some mistake some where ; but to question the posi- 
tive assertions of thousands of men, who professed to be "born 
of God," and to attribute to such men anything but the best 
motives, or to doubt their knowledge of the Scriptures, was not 
a light thing with us; when, too, all our prejudices were in their 
favor. On this account our early instructions and prepossessions 
warred against facts and our better judgment, for a considerable 
length of time. We stood alone ; of believers there w T ere none 
to help us — -all were afraid to indulge a single doubt, lest God 
should cast them off — so firmly rooted are these awful claims of 
the Clergy in the minds of the people, and to such an extent 
have they wound their Clerical webs around men! We also 
doubted with trembling; now resolved to believe, and then again 
facts would exhibit themselves to our view, which compelled us 
to entertain strong doubts. As years progressed, circumstances 
were constantly developing new facts, illustrative of the ruling 
principles, and the true characters of the Clergy, as a body. To 
us, from these accumulated facts, as developed in the conduct 
of the Clergy, it was demonstrable that they were not " born of 
God," and as a body, were not holy and good men; and, oi 
consequence, could not possibly be the selected and chosen 
vassals of God, to convey His Heavenly truths to mankind. 

But that which eventually sealed our previous doubts, because 
it exhibited in a luminous manner, not to be mistaken, the ruling 
principle of action, and the true character of a body of Clergy, 
who claimed to be the most pure, holy, and disinterested of all 
others; and who were in the habit at that day, of publicly charging 
all other Clergy with worldly and base motives, and as "men made 
Preachers," and claiming for themselves to be the only truly con^- 
verted and regenerated Ambassadors of Christ ! This exhibition 
of principle and character grew out of the contention, first between 
a part of the Methodist Preachers and their Bishops, in relation to 



rifl INTRODUCTION. 

the appointing power. The Bishops, as they are called by way of 
pre-eminence, claimed the authority to station or send the Preach- 
er* where they pleased. Of this, a part of the Preachers com- 
plained as a grievance, and called it " arbitrary power" in the 
Bishops, and they charged them with partiality and favoritism 
in the exercise of that power; but the Bishops on their part, 
having tasted of the delicious fruit, and drank of the intoxicating 
sup of absolute power, tenaciously held on to it, and refused to 
yield one jot of that precious treasure, even to their brother "Am- 
bassadors!" They, too, had their satellites, who revolved around 
them, as all great men in authority always have. The conse- 
quence was, the contention between these devoted, self- denying , 
and chosen servants of the meek and humble Saviour of men, 
became very serious, and threatened, and did produce a division 
of the*Church. One of the Rev. Gentlemen, and a Preacher of 
eminence on the side of the complainants, on his return from the 
Conference held in Winchester, Va., where Clerical delegates 
were elected to the General Conference of Clergy, told the author 
that the Bishops and their satellites defeated them in the selec- 
tion of delegates, by the most unfair and underhanded means, 
by trickery and midnight caucusing, and attributed to his brother 
u Legates of the Skies," all the chicanery of unprincipled poli- 
ticians ; and they did, before leaving the Conference, draw up a 
strong remonstrance against the proceedings of the Bishops and 
their party, in which they declare this great and universal truth : 
"The march of power is ever onward, and its tendency is always 
to accumulate." They declared also, the power of the Bishops 
to be dangerous, and inimical to the best interest of the Church. 
The Chairman of the Committee who drew up this famous re- 
monstrance against the dangerous power of the Bishops, did, 
afterward, himself, accept of a Bishopric, and died a Bishop. — 
He was a man of talent and of learning, and therefore, to be 
feared by these Apostolic Bishops, and they failed not to keep 
their eyes upon him, and to use every artifice to win him over to 
their side; for, beside the remonstrance, he had made a speech in 



INTRODUCTION. IX 

Conference, of a very pungent and forcible nature, portraying in 
strong terms, the great danger of such power. He was the 
champion of the complainants, and they were accustomed to 
speak of this speech, as "making the Bishops tremble." This 
talented, learned, and influential Preacher, had a family, and was 
poor. We knew him well ; he was an amiable man, but he 
proved himself not to be above temptation ; let the blame rest on 
the tempters. First, he was made secretary to the "General Con- 
ference, " and voted for as Bishop ; next, he was placed in inde- 
pendent circumstances as editor of the Church paper, the "Ad- 
vocate and Journal, " and there he was retained until they made 
him a Bishop, with all its " hateful and dangerous power." On 
these facts comment is needless, as they speak for themselves. 
But this is not all, for the disaffected Preachers would speak 
of their grievances to the Membership, and endeavor to enlist 
their sympathies; (for the members could do no more than sym- 
pathize with them.) or they may have hoped, that in case they 
should find it to their interest to proceed to open rebellion against 
the Bishops and their satellites, the members who sympathized 
with them, would serve as " stock in trade," to commence an 
opposition in Church making. Be that as it may, our object is 
to narrate the circumstance which illicited facts demonstrative of 
principles and character in the "Divinely Authorized." From 
what has been said, we see the want cf confidence in each other, 
and their apparent hatred of absolute power, when exercised over 
themselves. In what follows, we shall as clearly see the love of 
absolute power, when exercised by themselves; we will see, too, 
the great lengths to which these " disinterested, self-denying and 
holy men," will go, in order to retain it ; even to the severing of 
what they call and esteem professedly, "the Church of God!" 
Yes, these "Ambassadors of Christ," these select and Heaven 
appointed, and qualified servants of the most high God, can over- 
look and daily wink at the violations of the only Religious and 
saving principles of their church, as contained in their "General 
Rules," drawn up by John Wesley — who declared that none 



X INTRODUCTION* 

could be saved, nor stay in the Church, but such as uniformly 
observed them — and at the same time watch with the eye of an 
eagle the softest whispers, questioning their " divine right" to 
uncontrolled government over their members in all things relating 
to the Church, property, as well as other things! "As the Am- 
bassadors of Christ, they can do nothing against the truth — but 
for it," and woe betide those who presume to question it ! 

Well, one good effect of this Priestly controversy, was to make 
the hitherto unsuspecting Membership see something of the pe- 
culiarities of the government which the Preachers had made for 
them. The more enlightened of them saw it to be a pure Eccle- 
siastical aristocracy, and they saw themselves bound, hands and 
feet, to the car of Priestly irresponsible domination, and most 
cunningly devised it is too. Like captive flies in the web of 
the spider, their struggles for liberty only proved the strength of 
their prison, and terminated in their death ! 

But the members, composing a large number of the most en- 
lightened, and the most exemplary in the Church, dared to pre- 
sume to solicit a hearing in behalf of their lost liberty and rights 
as Christians, and they were haughtily replied to by the Rev. 
Clergy, that " they knew no such rights, and acknowleged 
no such privileges," and that, "as the Divinely authorized 
Ambassadors of God, they were in conscience bound not to 
permit their administration to be controlled." This thunder 
of the " Vatican," not having succeeded to silence all the 
dissatisfied, and they continuing their feeble efforts to bring 
these "Legates of Heaven" to reason, and to Christian sym- 
pathies, were by them arraigned, and tried by creatures of 
their own selection, and expelled — not for any immoral conduct 
— not for any thing that would exclude them from the kingdom 
of Heaven ; for, if they dismissed all for these things, there would 
be but a very few left to grace their triumph, or to pay their self- 
imposed salaries ; but it was purely " for speaking evil of God's 
Ministers." This was their only crime — the only offence charged. 
Many submitted with all humility as dutiful children, to " Holy 



Mother Church." They abandoned their unalienable rights a« 
Christians, for the good will and the intercession of "God's 
Ministers ;" arrogantly calling themselves such. 

And yet another striking feature in this Clerical drama, is : so 
soon as the Membership began humbly to solicit some share in 
the government of the Church, involving not only the rights of 
conscience, but millions worth of property, in real and personal 
estate, which in justice belonged exclusively to the members, 
having been purchased by their earnings, than the Preachers 
cunningly hushed up; and like unto " Pilot and Herod, the same 
day they were made friends, for before, they were at enmity be- 
tween themselves." After this, no more was heard of the "Ar- 
bitrary Power," and the " Dangerous Power" of the Bishops. 
It was no longer an eternal truth, " that the march of power is 
ever onward, and its tendency always to accumulate." Some 
of the very Preachers who endeavored, and did enlist the sym- 
pathies of the members in their behalf, when contending against 
the " arbitrary and dangerous power" of the Bishops, and who, 
by the force of truth, made them "tremble," became the warmest 
persecutors of the supplient members, and the advocates of the 
Bishops! Such are men — "cursed are they that puteth their 
trust in an arm of flesh." 

This contest was prolonged from its commencement, first 
among the Preachers themselves, and then between the Mem- 
bership and the Preachers, ten or fifteen years perhaps ; and 
during all this time we were a member, and part of the time a 
Preacher in the Methodist E. Church. We maintained, so far 
as we could, a neutral position ; but marking its progress and its 
effects, in developing the true characters and the most powerful 
principles of aetion that governed a body of men, professing to 
be the chosen servants of Chrisc (who washed His disciples feet, 
as an example of condescension and humility,) above all others. 
And we discovered them to be, as all other bodies of men are, 
some good, some indifferent, and some bad; and all, united in one 
thing above all others: the tenacious maintenance of power in 



XII INTRODUCTION. 

their own hands. And we have seen men, who, when quietly 
submitting to that power, were considered men of God, and the 
"excellent of the earth" by them; and these very same men, 
when wishing in self defence, to obtain but a small share of au- 
thority over their own consciences and property, and for nothing 
else, branded as instigated by the devil, by pride, by vain glory 
in their own wisdom ; as hypocrits, as backsliders from God, and 
as disturbers of the repose of the Church of God; and every 
epithet applied to them, calculated to bring them into contempt, 
and to blacken their reputation ; and this was done from the 
pulpit, the Preacher's fort, where they cannot be replied to by 
the injured party, from the press, and at the fire-side; at home 
and abroad, by the way side, in public and in private! And, 
moreover : because we would not join in the hue and cry against 
innocent and good men — far better than thousands who were 
persecuting them, and considered by the Preachers worthy mem- 
bers of their Church — because we could not in conscience do 
this, we were marked, watched, and suspected, and subjected 
to many annoyances, as a man who would not bend the knee, 
and implicitly bow to the dictum of their high mightinesses. — 
At length, becoming truly disgusted with such baseness, hypo* 
cracy of pretentions of disinterested self-denial, and of the empty 
professions of a whole body of men — of men who claimed not 
only to be Christians, but to be such holy and faithful Christians, 
as to claim the special attention of God, and by Him selected 
from all others, as His peculiar favorites and best friends, to be 
His chosen vessels to convey the pure water of Life to mankind 
— most certainly their pretentions imply all this. 

It was such a long train of facts, that admitted of no doubt of 
the true characters of the men, and of their ruling principles, that 
tore up our confidence root and branch. Our strong prejudices 
and early impressions, had not one inch of ground to stand upcn. 
In this state of mind, we voluntarily and quietly withdrew from 
the Methodist E. Church. 

From a deliberate review of the whole order of Clergy, from 



iNTROBUCttOK. Xil! 

the close of the second century, down to 1849, we are irresisti- 
bly compelled to pronounce the assumptions of them all,false, and 
destructive to the purity, the peace, and unity of the Church of 
Christ — in a word, as anti- Christian* 

But the Clergy affirm, and the people believe, that they are an 
indispensible part of God's plan of salvation! How is this ? — ■ 
They, as the makers of the faiths (for they are many) of the 
people, and the acknowledged expounders of the Gospel, teach 
the people so to believe. 

But we, rejecting the Clergy, the doors of all the Churches 
were barred against us, and we were outlawed. The doors of 
their Churches are opened and shut by the creeds made, and 
handed down from the founders of their respective sects, 

Being now an exile and a heretic, and finding ourselves un- 
trammeled by sectarian influences, we turned our attention to the 
teachings of the Son of God, and of his true Ambassadors, the 
Apostles; to see if, in very deed, such an incubus was attached 
to the Gospel system. With a determination to discard it as a 
revelation from God, if we found any solid reason to believe that 
they were ; but to our astonishment and delight, we not only 
could find no reason to believe in such an " order of men," but 
found them mentioned, only to be reprobated and guarded 
against as the masked enemies of pure Christianity ! The epi- 
thets applied to such by the Holy Ghost, are: "false prophets," 
"hirelings," " strangers," "wolves in sheep's clothing," "busy- 
bodies, working not at all, and to be shunned by all believers ;" 
" as men who, by fair speeches deceived the people, and draw- 
ing them away from the simplicity and purity of the Gospel of 
Christ ;" "the messengers of Satan disguised as angels of light," 
professing to be sent by God ; " as the hidden mystery of 
iniquity, that would one day be revealed and discovered to the 
world," and " as men from the Eldership of the Church, who 
should speak perverse and erroneous things, and draw away 
Disciples after them ;" and many other such terms of reprobation 
are employed, as their works of mischief were foreseen by the 



XIV INTRODUCTION. 

Spirit of Prophecy. The warnings are urgent and many against 
them. Thus our mind was freed from this gross libel on 
Christianity ! 

But another objection presented itself of a different nature.— 
All the revelations attributed to God, who is equally the Father 
of all men$ are, in appearance, partial, and confined to a few! 
This we found not to be true in fact. The evidence will be 
found in this volume. 

And yet another difficulty presented itself. The great dis- 
crepency there is between the teachings of Christ, and the lives 
of those who profess Christianity, and are in communion with 
the various sects. We found in the Scriptures not one doctrine 
more clearly taught, or more frequently insisted upon, than that 
of obedience to the precepts of Christ, as indispensible to salva- 
tion. But these professors do not obey His precepts, but are 
endeavoring to " climb up some other way;" and yet they hope 
for Heaven. The question arose in our mind, are the plain doc> 
trines of Christ understood and believed by professors ? If 
understood, how can they indulge in any rational or Scriptural 
hope of a happy immortality? But, will God cast them off for 
ever? For, if the Scriptures be true, a very large majority who 
are building confidently on obtaining a happy resurrection, are 
grossly deceiving themselves, " and their hopes are as the spider's 
web." Who, then, will be saved? These, and kindred sub- 
jects, occupied our mind night and day, for a length of time; 
until we concluded that possibly all might be a delusion, and 
the Scriptures the production of a talented and benevolent en- 
thusiast, who hoped to charm or to alarm men to noble deeds! 
And thus we continued for some years on the verge of skepticism; 
now half believing, and then doubting ! No where could we see 
any, practicing the precepts of Christ, or imitating His example ; 
and a 5 * little among His professed Ambassadors as their followers ! 
— "like Priest, like people." This is fully verified. W r e found 
ourself a " restless wanderer after rest;" and like Noah's dove, 
we could find no firm, rational resting place ! 



INTRODUCTION. XV 

But the important consideration was ever returning, with 
more or less force and power: "If a man die, shall he live 
again?" And if he should live again, under what circumstances 
would he live ? Will God make any distinctions after this life ? 
What are the qualifications for a happy immortality? What is 
the will of God in relation to men, and how is it to be infalibly 
known ? From whence is man, and what his final destination ? 
Can God be offended or propitiated by men, a^pd how ? Who 
can satisfactorily answer these important questions ? Who can 
solve our anxious doubts ? More than a thousand different 
answers in different ages of the world's history, have been given; 
but which of them all, is the true one ? For only one can be 
true, if any of them are ! These questions, so deeply interesting 
to the peace, and to the happiness of so many countless human 
spirits, we thought must interest the Eternal Being. But has 
He indeed interposed ? For to us, it was clear that the dark- 
ness and uncertainty that enveloped these questions, could not 
be removed, only by revelation ! If he has, by whom, and what 
are the evidences ? These questions at length aroused our 
paralized and dormant energies, and set us on the present inves- 
tigation, and of the results of which this volume is the fruits. 
It is dedicated to all who love the truth, more than the approba- 
tion of men. 

We will conclude this introduction by saying : Of all the 
propositions ever presented to the consideration of Immortal 
Spirits, since the world began, none are so pregnant with con- 
sequences involving so many and such absorbing interests, as 
that of Christianity. Compared with it all other interests sink 
into insignificance; and it maybe truly said, " what will it profit 
a man if he should gain the whole world, and lose his own soul ; 
or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?" It is the 
interests of the soul then, the Immortal Spirit, of which Christi- 
anity treats ! On the principle of reason, therefore, it demands of 
all men the very utmost industry, circumspection and care in its 
investigation. All other sciences and their consequences, termi- 



Xtt INTRODUCTION. 

nate with this life, whilst the consequences resulting from a true 
knowledge of Christianity, has no termination ! The interests 
of an endless Eternity is its theme ! It alone can answer the 
awfully important question, " what must I do to be saved ?" — 
In reference to it, the Son of God said : " Strive to enter in at 
the straight gate, for many, I say unto you, shall seek to enter, 
and shall not be able ; for narrow is the way, and straight is the 
gate, which leadeth unto life, andjfew there be that find it !" 

Now, although the entrance be accompanied with difficulty, 
owing to the multiplied hinderances thrown in our way, by Satan, 
the world, and the flesh; and notwithstanding the- narrowness of 
the path to Heaven and Immortality, yet it is plain and easy to 
be understood. Yes, " it is the King's highway, and a man, 
though a fool, (or ignorant of all other sciences,) may walk 
therein." 

This volume, dedicated to all lovers of truth, proposes to ex- 
hibit and expose the deceptions which interpose to prevent "the 
knowledge of the glorious Gospel of the Son of God, from 
shining into the hearts of men ;" and all that we ask of the 
reader is, a calm, dispassionate, and disinterested hearing — such 
as the interests embraced by Christianity imperiously demand. 

Remember, that a shepherd done more to save Israel, with a 
pebble from the brook, than did all the hosts of the armies of 
King Saul ! It was of God, and not of man. The weakness 
and inadequacy of the instrument, demonstrated it to be of God 



PART THE FIRST. 

Exhibiting Indubitable Facts, Demonstrative of the Absolute Necessity for a 
Special Revelation, to instruct Mankind in the Knowledge of the one True 
Gcd. and their Accountability to Him. 

"The world, by wisdom, knew not God;" " who, by search- 
ing, can find out the Almighty ?" These two sentences of 
Revelation are expressive of the impossibility and the fruitless 
efforts of men, by means of learning and philosophy, to discover 
the nature and the attributes of the Supreme Being ! It is the 
language of one who presents himself to the World as an Am- 
bassador of God, and whose business it was to supply that 
deficiency. 

But, is the sentiment, expressed by the Apostle, true in fact ; 
and how can it be demonstrated to be so ? The only proper 
means of proving the truth or the falsehood of his position, is, 
by referring it to the history of the efforts of intellect on that 
particular branch of knowledge. To that test, therefore, we 
submit it, and are willing to abide the result. 

That mankind are made for Religion, is too obvious to need 
arguments to prove, as indisputable facts fully establish it — and 
these facts running through the unbroken history of the whole 
race of human beings, from the earliest times to the present day; 
embracing all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people. For, on 
what part of the earth's surface have men been found, destitute 



IS TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY, 



of Religion of some kind? It is, then, egregious folly and ex- 
cessive vanity, in any man, to frame an hypothesis contrary to the 
universal history of mankind ! 

«The same historical facts, also, demonstrate that man is the 
only being constituted for Religion. In this, he stands peerless 
amidst all that inhabit this globe ! All the countless numbers- 
and varieties of other beings, many of which far excel him id 
size, strength, and longevity, not one is found approximating to 
any thing like moral or Religious culture ! Man is their God ! 
Those of them that are domesticated, bow in humble submis- 
sion to his will, and manifest no evidence of a feeling of vene- 
ration or accountability, to any other power whatever. Their 
capacities of acquiring knowledge, are very limited. The same 
animals, through all time, pursue the same course. The lion, 
the tiger, the elephant, the ox, and all others, are ever the same, 
The beaver builds the same habitation now, that it did from 
the beginning of time ! Having food and shelter, all are con- 
tented ; no ambition tor improvement, or aspiration* for a more 
exalted state; even in this world, is exhibited by any of them. 

But with men it is not so, This world seems too small for 
their ambition ! They are ever changing for belter or worse, 
and never satisfied ! Men manifest capacities for improvement, 
almost assimilating them to God ; and, on the other hand, the 
very same powers, neglected, or wrongly directed, have degra- 
ded them to the level of beasts, and in power to do evil, equal 
to demons ! Mankind alone, of all that inhabit the earth, are 
restless wanderers after rest. They are constantly grasping after 
something beyond present enjoyment, and reaching forward after 
that which they do not possess, under the impression that it 
will make them more happy; but, alas, they are ever doomed to 
disappointment ! Like the raging billows of the mighty ocean, 
tossed by fierce winds, and threatening the destruction of every 
thing on its bosom, even so the restless and unsatiated desires 
of man disturb the repose of the world, and by their mad ambi- 
tion, destroy millions of human beings, and devastate the earth 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 19 

with carnage, pestilence and famine ! This is a strong proof, 
that the race of men were created for something more noble, 
than to be thus employed ; and that they are wasting their ener- 
gies and capabilities in vain show, and demoniac contentions, 
for that which satisfieth not ! 

The condition of men in this world, as exhibited by their 
acts — the unerring index of their minds— is that of having been 
severed from a source congenial to their natures, and having be- 
come lost and bewildered, are vainly struggling to find their 
resting place and the source of lost happiness. But darkness 
blinds them, and chimerical shadows float in their vision, at 
which, like frantic men, they are ever grasping, but which ever 
elude them. 

From whence does this Religious propensity and restless as- 
pirations originate ? It may, possibly, be connected with tradi- 
tion ; but we are not compelled to refer it to this source at all, 
for there is an all sufficient cause found in the construction of 
his mind. The inherent properties of which exalts him infinite- 
ly above all the rest of God's creation. His reasoning powers, 
compel man to be religious— yea, he cannot avoid it if he 
would ! He is made capable of investigating causes and their 
effects; of inferring one thing from another ; of deducing con- 
clusions from facts. Such a being must close his eyes, and hide 
himself from all around, above, and beneath him, not to be Re- 
ligious after some fashion! Finding himself surrounded with 
the wonders of creation, and being acquainted with no power 
superior to his own, which he is conscious could no more pro- 
duce what he beholds, than an ant could build and adorn a palace! 
He is, therefore, compelled to conclude that some one or more 
beings, must exist some where, and under some form, possessing 
power and intelligence equal to the production of all which he 
beholds. He cannot avoid this conclusion if he wished. It 
forces itself upon him. So that " the Eternal Power and God- 
head of the Deity is clearly evident from the works of creation ;" 
for " the Heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament 



20 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 



sheweth His handy work ; day unto day uttereth speech, and 
night unto night teacheth knowledge, and their voice is gone 
to the ends of the earth, and there is no kindred tongue or 
people where it is not heard." All men, therefore, are Religious 
of necessity. 

But if it be objected, how it can be true that " the world by 
wisdom knew not God, and that by searching they could not 
find him out," when they are irresistibly compelled by a law of 
their nature, to acknowledge His Godhead or supremacy? The 
objection has no force whatever ; for, we may be compelled to 
acknowledge the existence of a thing, and yet remain ignorant of 
the properties of that thing. We know that the sun exists, and 
that it is the source of light and of heat; because, when present 
we experience both, and when absent w T e are deprived of both ; 
ai?d this is all that any man can know of the sun, as absolutely 
certain ; but of its component parts nothing is known ! If there 
was no atmosphere around the earth, it would emit no light or 
heat. Even so we know the power, wisdom and intelligeisce of 
God, by compulsion through His works, and this is all we can 
know with full assurance. True, men may speculate and infer 
many things in relation to God, and this they have done ; but of 
these speculations and inferences, there can be no certainty ! — 
So we may of the sun and of all other planets, but they are 
mostly visionary. Certainly no man can place implicit confi- 
dence on mere conjecture, or, in even strong probability — 
whether in astronomy or theology — such may or may not be true. 

But, whilst the existence of a supreme Being forces itself 
on all, yet His nature and attributes were not so manifest, further 
than His wisdom and power. These were undeniable. But 
who can predicate the unity of God from His works, or His spiritu- 
ality either? Or His impartial government of the world ? Or 
what constitutes vice, and what virtue ? What is sin, and what 
holiness ; or what pleasing or displeasing to Him ? Whether 
malevolent or benevolent ? Can any correct or satisfactory con- 
clusions on any of those subjects, be had from the condition of 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 21 

men, as seen in the world ? If the character of God is to be 
estimated on such a principle as that, the weight of evidence is 
in favor of his delight in war, blood, and human wretchedness! 
For. all those in the world's history, that have been exalted to 
honors and high places in the earth, have delighted in such 
deeds, and made human woe and bloodshed their amusement ! 
These are facts which admit of no dispute. 

We do not affirm that there are no proofs of God's goodness 
exhibited by his works ; but we do say that such manifestations 
are not evident to a large majority of mankind. Does the sun 
rise to cheer and to enlighten the world, and by its warming 
energies cause vegitation to spring up for the sustenance of man 
and beast ? But does not its light enable wicked tyrants, and 
the rulers of the earth, to devastate its surface, and to butcher 
their less favored fellow creatures ? And do not a vast majority 
have to tod in summer's heat, and in winter's frosts, to obtain a 
scanty support? Does the light of day present us with the 
beauties of nature? But at the same time it presents us with hu- 
man wretchedness in a thousand varied forms! Does the atmos- 
phere support life? But to very many that life, thus supported, 
is misery itself; and many such are among; the best of God's 
creation ! The atmosphere also, is a medium of conveyance 
for the poisoned arrows of death ! Fire and water, likewise, 
minister to happiness ; but they, also, destroy life and property ! 
Finally, if there be a small amount of happiness in this world, is 
there not ten thousand times more wretchedness ? From whence, 
then, are men to conclude from the condition of things as seen, 
that God is essentially good and benevolent? It cannot be 
done ! 

But this is not all, there are other questions of far more im- 
portance, that were involved in equal darkness. Whether God 
is forgiving, or mercifully inclined ; and what can the transgres- 
sor do to obtain reconciliation ? Who can tell the origin 
and the final end of men? Does the grave hide us for ever? Is 
that the termination of man'3 interests ? But, if they should 



22 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY, 

perchance survive the grave, what then ? How shall they come 
forth, and what shall be the consequence ? Are men accounta- 
ble to God for their conduct in this life, and to what extent ? — 
By what law are they to determine the character of their actions — 
the laws of men or of God ? If of God, where is that law suf- 
ficiently obvious to all, as to challenge implicit obedience and 
confidence, that it is the law of God indeed ? Are not all these 
questions of commanding importance ? But who could deter- 
mine them satisfactorially ? None but God ! If, therefore, He 
should keep silence, there is no hope ! This is not a mere asser- 
tion only, but a Tact as capable of proof as any other fact relating 
to man. 

A reference to the efforts of the greatest philosophers of an- 
tiquity, will set this question at rest. There was Hermes, of 
Egypt; Zoriaster, of Persia ; Budha, of India ; Confucious, of 
China ; Thales, Pithagrous, Plato, Aristotle, Zeno, Socratese,, 
Anaxamander, and many others, of Greece. These men bent 
their great intellects and all their combined energies, in searching 
after God ; and what were their conclusions ? 

First, in regard to the creation of the world, and the whole 
planatory system, and, also, of man. Plato, who most certainly 
was, as a mere man, the most sublime, intellectual being, that ever 
lived in the world, supposed the world to have been created, 
and all its fulness, and its appendages, at some- definite period ; 
but he could not tell when, or how ! He suggossid the model of 
all things existed co-evil with the Creator himself. That the 
material out of which man, the world, the planets, and all things 
else were made, existed from eternity t But there is in the 
world a mixture of good and of evil;; much. that exhibits Him as 
benevolent and good, and sufficient to suppose Him to be ma- 
levolent, vindictive and capricious, But that great man was not 
willing to admit this last as a part of the character of the su- 
preme Being. How then was the difficulty to be solved ? The 
fact is undeniable. From whence did evil originate, if not from 
the Creator ? Some supposed that the Creator of this world was 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 23 

absolutely a malevolent being. But even on this supposition 
the difficulty still exists ; for there are much of that which savors 
of good in this world. Plato, therefore, had recourse to the fol- 
lowing expedient : matter existed independent of God ; and that 
it possessed an inherent stubbornness, that God himself could 
not overcome ; and, therefore, things were not made as perfect 
as He desired ; and man also partakes of that unavoidable im- 
perfection ! But how will this agree with the omnipotence of 
God ? This supposition makes matter omnipotent ; for God 
could not overcome its inherent stubbornness, though His be- 
nevolence prompted him to do so ! But He dofie the very best 
He could under the circumstances. The evils that are in the 
world are not to be attributed to God, but to the materials of 
which He was compelled to make all things ! Thus, Plato, to 
save the benevolence of the Deity, sacrificed His omnipotence ! 
He also supposed that the souls of all mankind, that shall 
through all time inhabit this earth, were separated from the mass 
of matter of which the world is made, at the time of its being 
made, and their residence assigned them in the stars ; and that 
they are sent into the world in the form of men and women, as 
probationers, time after time; and that such as act well their 
part, and conform themselves to the will of the supreme Being, 
shall be exalted to a happy immortality ; and the only way to do 
this, was abstraction from the world, in a life of mental contem- 
plation. The government of the world, he supposed to be com- 
mitted to inferior Gods, who ruled under the great Supreme, 
and that worship should be rendered them ; so that even " the 
divine Plato," as he is called, was an idolater himself, and en- 
couraged it in others. This is the result of this giant intellect, 
when he had put forth all the energies of his mighty mind, to 
search after God. Plato's heart was too good, and his mind too 
pure, to attribute evil to the supreme Being ; and, therefore, he 
chose the less objectionable of two insuperable difficulties. His 
idea of the pre-existence of all souls was deemed so plausible, 
as lo have been entertained by some of the Jews. But where 



24 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY 

did they learn it ? Not from Moses, for such a thing is no where 
hinted at by him. Therefore, some of their learned Rabbins must 
have introduced it ; as we are assured they did many other doc- 
trines foreign to, and destructive of, the religion taught by that 
servant of God. Some of the Fathers, as they are called by 
way of eminence, but who should be called, for more causes than 
this, the corrupters of the Christian church, taught the same doc- 
trine ; and where did they learn it ? Not of Christ ; but of "vain 
philosophy." But we shall say more of this at another time. 

There was Aristotle too, the disciple of Plato, and for accute- 
ness of mind, equal to his master ; but he differed from him. — 
He assumed that the world and all it contains, eminated from 
God, of necessity, as light does from the sun, or heat from fire. 
Consequently, one could not exist without the other ; that is, all 
we see is God ! The inference is, that God is material. For, 
if what we see be a part of him, and all we see is material, then, 
though we cannot see the whole of God, yet the part not seen 
must be the same in kind, if not in form. He also maintained 
the doctrine of fate, and that God existed of necessity, and acted 
of necessity ; and that all things are as they are, because they 
could not be otherwise. This was cutting the knot, which no 
human wisdom or research could untie. This itself was wis- 
dom, for it is admitting that he knew nothing about the matter, 
and that all conjecture was vain. 

Anaxamander, another philosopher, denied the existence of 
any supreme Being at all ; and accounted for all things by the 
inherent properties of matter, necessarily assuming all the varied 
forms that we behold ! But he leaves to conjecture how this 
substance originated, and how it acquired such energy of action, 
and wisdom of design as the wonders of creation exhibit. This 
short method of solving all difficulties was embraced by many 
of the philosophers, as the best excuse for their ignorance of a 
subject so far above them, and were opposed by Plato, Aristotle, 
Socratese and others. These three opinions prevailed among 
the learned down to the time of the appearance of the Son of God. 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 25 

But another sect of learned men, called all we see and feel, a 
delusion, and life a dream ! 

Zeno, the founder of the sect of Stoics, supposed the supreme 
Being to be pure ether, highly sublimated, and endowed with 
supreme intelligence and power. 

Thus did men struggle in the glimmering light of nature, to 
find out the Almighty. Aristotle, in the language of despair 
said, " all must be referred to one principal and primitive being, 
and to other inferior beings, subordinate to Him ;" but who, or 
what they all w r ere, was a mystery beyond human ken. "This," 
said he, " is the true doctrine of all the ancients," meaning, 
thereby, that all the opinions of learned men before his time, re- 
sulted in this, and that nothing more could be known. This is 
proof that neither he, himself, nor any that preceeded him, were 
satisfied with their own conclusions, and it was, in very truth, 
giving it up as hopeless ! 

Plutarch, also, one of the most learned in ancient mythology, 
and himself a heathen philosopher, after all his research into the 
various speculations of others of all ages and countries, thus sums 
up the whole : " As the sun is common to all the world, though 
called by different names in different countries ; so there is but 
one supreme mind, and one and the same providence governing 
all ; and He hath appointed other inferior powers as his minis- 
ters." But said Lactantius, another learned philosopher, labor- 
ing under the same feelings of dissatisfaction and dispair : 
" Whether that supreme being be nature, light, pure ether, 
reason, or understanding, they could not determine ! But which 
ever it was, that is God !" Here is the very utmost extent of the 
wisdom of this world. This testimony we have from their own 
lips, and therefore, must be true. 

The position then, of God's Ambassador is demonstrated to 
be true ; and we must, from these admitted facts, conclude that 
"the world by wisdom knew not God, and that by searching 
they could not find out the Almighty." 

But this was not only the case in the infancy of the world's 



26 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

history, nor yet in a barbarous age, or with an uncultivated 
people ; but after many centuries had elapsed, and accumulated 
efforts had been made, and the most reasonable opinions of all 
the wisest and most learned of men, of all ages and countries, 
were combined, and men had ceased to make further efforts. It 
was so at the period of the world's history, that is, by way of 
pre-eminence, called the " Golden Age," when most of the 
arts and the sciences, that are within the range of intellect, had 
been perfected ; such as architecture, sculpture, painting, and 
others; elocution, logic, language, polished and eloquent com- 
positions. In all these, that age and people are looked up to as 
models worthy of imitation, and not excelled, if equaled, in this 
famed 19th century. Rome, the mistress of the world, in which 
was concentrated the riches, the philosophy, the arts and scien- 
ces, and the wisdom of all preceeding time and countries. In 
the days of the great and wise Augustus Caesar, Roman empe- 
rors, poets, orators, historians, philosphers, logicians and priests, 
the reputed favorites of Heaven, were all ignorant of God, and 
worshiped they knew not what. And yet they were religious. 
Their temples for grandeur, magnificence and costliness, have 
never been equaled in any country or nation since. Their re- 
ligious rites were correspondingly imposing and splendid. No 
less than twelve of their principal gods were enshrined in her 
Panthion, itself a building of indiscribable grandeur, and of 
great extent, and which is now standing as a monument to pos- 
terity, and as a record of the times. 

Such being the facts in this case, is it reasonable to conclude 
that men in this, or in any subsequent age, could have succeed- 
ed better? Do men of the present day surpass them in amount 
of mind? Or, indeed, have many of them been equaled in in- 
tellect ? Certainly never surpassed. In all worldly sciences 
that have been mentioned, they have never been equaled, and we, 
of this day, are their pupils, and the most emminent of the pres- 
ent day boast of being their imitators ; and never in their most 
sanguine aspirations, do they expect to rival them. Why, 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 27 

therefore, is that vanity indulged in, on the subject of theology ? 
They had free access to all the natural aids that the men of this 
age have. The heavens and the earth presented the very same 
aspect to them as they now do, and all the phenomena of nature 
were the same. What, therefore, did they lack ; or what supe- 
rior advantages have the men of 1he present generation over 
them ? Have any of the discoveries in chemistry, geology, 
music, optics, astronomy, government, or the mechanic arts, 
added any thing to the knowledge of the nature, or the attri- 
butes of God ? To the origin and the destiny of man ? To 
His accountability and immortality, or any other part of Reli- 
gious knowledge ? " God's eternal power and godhead was as 
fully demonstrated by the things that are made," in the times of 
Plato, and others of the wise men of antiquity, as now ; and did 
they not make use of these means, in searching after God, as 
diligently as men now do ? We know that all this is as true of 
them as it is of us. What better success, therefore, is it proba- 
ble that we should have, in the same research, with the same 
means ? None at all ! Yet men, though rejecting God's reve- 
lation as being superfluous, smile contemptuously on the 
opinions and the religious worship of the ancients, as childish 
and rediculous ; and wonder how such things could be endured. 
But it was even so; and so it would still have been, had God have 
kept silent. This fact is also capable of demonstrative proof; 
for, there is not one solitary community recorded on the page of 
man's history, where, or whenever found, (where the voice of 
God has not been heard speaking from Heaven,) that are not 
still as ignorant of God now as then ! Why is it then, that only 
where God's revelation shiaes, any thing like satisfactory and 
rational ideas of God and his attributes are known ; and all 
men, against their inclinations, are compelled to acknowledge 
its great superiority, and its entire agreement with the most ex- 
alted reason ? This is true beyond cavil. Men, we know, in 
the pride of their hearts, find fault with the manner of God's in- 
terference ; but the substance of it none are ashamed of 



28 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

But what were the effects of the former state of ignorance of 
the true God, and other truths of revelation? They were ap- 
palling ; they were humiliating in the extreme. Reason, en- 
lightened by revelation, is made to blush in contemplating it. 

As the philosophers themselves, by admitting subordinate 
deities, as even Plato did, opened a wide door for the cupidity 
of the designing and the crafty among men, to frame inventions 
to their own advantage, and such are never backward to take 
every advantage of the ferns, the supposed interest, the igno- 
rance and the confidence of the great mass of the people ; and 
so we find it among all idolitrous nations. The cupidity and 
lust of power and emolument, racked the brain and strained the 
corrupt imaginations of such men, to invent gods for the people. 
And to these gods were attributed all the vile and base passions 
of men ; such as theft, adultery, lying, deceit, malignity, cun- 
ning, craft and murder. With all these traits of character they 
possessed irresistable power. Hence they were objects to be 
dreaded by the people. Indeed, the imagination had made a 
god for every thing. They appeared like men walking in gross 
darkness ; and, being afraid at every step they made, sought 
protection from all quarters, and hence they were eminently re- 
ligious. They were constantly calling upon their gods, and 
doing something to avert their anger, and render them propitious; 
not by kindness to their neighbors, or merciful deeds, or good- 
ness, truth, justice, honesty, or any other right or benevolent 
deed ; but by prayers, sacrificings, and presents, by way of of- 
ferings. The temples of their principal gods were made the 
repositories of their treasures. Their religion had nothing to do 
with morality. It favored all the vilest passions in man, and 
their indulgence in vice only assimilated them to the likeness of 
their gods. Their religious ritual consisted of splendid and 
costly ceremonies, drunken revelings, dancing, nightly and im- 
pure assemblies, scandalous mysteries, profligate Priests, who, 
with the gods they made, were the chief patrons of all wicked- 
ness ! The Priests made the gods, and they were their repre- 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 29 

sentatives, and enjoyed all the profits, and divided the honors ; 
and the deluded people paid all the costs. In truth the Priests 
were the gods ; for they ordered all things relating to their -wor- 
ship, granted or withheld favors, blessed, cursed, and ruled the 
consciences of the people ! 

Such was the condition of the most polished nations, and so 
they remain at this day, where Christianity is unknown. One 
fact, however, is remarkable, and that is, where that people is 
found, who are not under the control of Priests, though, of 
consequence less religious, are far better people. In that 
case they are left to the feelings of their own hearts. Witness 
our own Indian tribes; however ignorant of God they may be, 
and they truly are very ignorant on that subject, and on that ac- 
count are revengeful and cruel to their enemies ; but they most 
certainly are free from many vices that are openly practiced by 
many polished nations, that are under the influence of a Priest- 
hood, and worship many gods. All that we have said on this 
subject is true beyond controversy ; known and acknowledged 
to be true by all, and no man of information will contradict it ; 
and yet many still say that a revelation from God %vas superflu- 
ous. And why do they say so ? Because they never felt the 
need of one. And why do they not feel that need ? Because 
they have a revelation, and they avail themselves of the infor- 
mation it confers so freely on all alike. They must shut their 
eyes and close their ears, not to participate in it ; otherwise, no 
man can avoid it. They almost inhale the knowledge of the true 
God with the air they breathe, and draw it from their mother's 
breast. Like the atmosphere, it surrounds them. All the do- 
mestic and civil institutions of the country in which they live, 
exhibits it. Our alms houses, hospitals, churches, and even 
prisons, proclaim the knowledge of God. No wonder, therefore, 
that they do not feel the need of a revelation ; but the misfortune 
to such is, that they feel the weight of it! It presses heavy on 
their consciences, in their hours of reflection. And another effect 
of this state of things was, that those men called Kings, who 



30 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY, 

had usurped dominion over their less gifted, crafty and fortunate 
fellow men, made an instrument of Religion, as a means of di- 
verting the minds of the people from the corruptions of the State. 
They, therefore, in conjunction with the Priests, amused them 
with imposing ceremonies, and splendid rituals. Thus veiling 
the knowledge of their gods in mysteries impenetrable to the 
people. By this craft, these two " privileged orders" were en- 
abled to enslave the world. 

The testimony which we have presented in proof of the truth 
of the apostle's position, is not obtained by any process of ob- 
scure reasoning, or far fetched inferences, drawn from a few 
doubtful facts; but the testimony is composed of an extended 
series of facts, and of such a nature as to be known to all men 
— yea, of facts that are now in existence in abundance. And 
from these uncontrovertible facts it is demonstrated, that " the 
world by wisdom knew not God ; and that by searching they 
could not find out the Almighty." And, moreover, the testi- 
mony cannot be charged with partiality, or with self-interest ; 
much less with falsehood, for they testify in their own behalf, 



INFIDEL OBJECTIONS REFUTED IN A REVIEW 

OF THE SPECIAL INTERPOSITIONS OF GOD 

THROUGH NOAH, ABRAHAM AND MOSES. 

But, says the objector, why did God leave the world so long 
without a revelation ? We reply, that God never did leave the 
world destitute of a revelation. And we admit that if he had 
done so, His character for benevolence, would have been in- 
volved in a cloud. But such is not the fact. Moses, the his- 
torian and the legislator of the Jews, who stands before the 
world as such, on testimony that cannot be easily disputed. — 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 3 1 

Without taking any advantage of the divinity of his mission ; 
but simply as an historian and legislator. He presents us with 
the earliest, most consistent, rational, and consequently, the 
most and the only reliable records of the human race. Moses 
Jived 1,500 years before the birth of Christ ; whilst Homer, who 
is the earliest recorder of supposed events, (beside Moses,) and 
all he says is mere poetical fancy, and nothing more than irra- 
tional fables. There cannot be, therefore, anything worthy the 
name of history before the Peloponnesian war, and this was only 
430 years before Christ ; 1,000 years later than Moses. So that 
if Moses be rejected, the world is to us a blank, to within 430 
years of Christ. 

On the authority of Moses then, we are assured that God 
never left the world destitute of a revelation of himself, or man 
of a knowledge of his duty to God and his neighbor. He in- 
forms us that God, for the wickedness of a former race of men, 
utterly destroyed them, excepting eight souls ! He also informs 
us that Noah was the commencement of the present race, and 
that to Noah, God revealed himself, and he lived to proclaim that 
revelation for 350 years after that destruction. So that man- 
kind was favored with a knowledge of God, by express revela- 
tion, during all that period, and Noah was a Treacher of right- 
eousness to all then living on the face of the earth. 

At the death of Noah, God raised up another to publish the 
knowledge of Himself, in the person of Abraham; and he be- 
came the repository of God's will. The manner of com munica- 
ting that will to Abraham we know not, as the historian has not 
informed us. He simply states the fact. But the subsequent 
history of Abraham's life, proves that the nature and the manner 
of the communication, were such as to preclude every doubt 
from the mind of Abraham, of its being the voice of God ; for 
such was his faith or assurance o( this, that in obedience to it 
he left his country and kindred without hesitation, and went, he 
knew not wither ; but relying implicitly on the direction of the 
same voice ! In doing so he exposed not only himself, but all 



3*2 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

his dependents, and all his property, to numerous dangers, hard- 
ships and toil; and, also, to eminent peril and hazard among 
hostile strangers. This no mam will do, without good reasons 
moving him thereto. 

And, also, the manner of his life is evidence that God made 
him the instrument of conveying that revealed knowledge to al 
the then inhabitants of the world. His wandering life, which 5 
by the command of God, he was compelled to lead, during a 
long series of years; journeying from country to country, and 
sojourning only a few years in any one of them; but every where 
proclaiming the one true and indivisible God, in opposition to 
the Gods many, and the consequent gross idolitry of the rest of 
the world. And ultimately, after a wandering life as a stranger 
and a pilgrim on this earth, confessing thereby, that here he had 
no abiding city, he died full of years and of veneration, at the 
age of one hundred and seventy-five years. "They," said the 
apostle, " who do such things, plainly declare that here they 
have no continuing city, but seek one, whose maker and builder 
is God" — a city in the skies. Thus Abraham proclaimed the 
knowledge of God to all mankind, by precept and by example. 

This task, imposed on this " friend of God" — this noble spe- 
cimen of humanity, though subjecting him to many dangers ant 
difficulties, was not impracticable. This will be evident, when 
the infancy q{ the renewed world is C3nsidered,at the call of Abra- 
ham ; which was only 375 years after the flood. Noah's sons were 
contemporary with Abraham ; and we know that the character 
of Abraham was diffused among all the primitive nations of the 
earth, as his name is blended with their mythology, and was 
universally reverenced. But, in the lapse of time, all was ob- 
ligated by Priestcraft and fables. This is not to be wondered 
at, when we know that only 400 years after Christ, when the 
faci'i:y of transmitting facts by written records was so great; yet, 
with this important advantage, the Clergy had so far obscured 
the simple and Heavenly doctrines of Christ, as to render them 
unintelligible, and substituted in their stead religious romances 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 33 

and Priestly mummery ; and Christianity at this day, notwith- 
standing the Divine Records — had not the art of printing been 
invented, and thereby cut off the opportunity from the Clergy to 
impose on the people— would have been totally obliterated from 
the earth, and Priestcraft substituted. As it is, the Holy Scrip- 
tures, (preserved pure by the providence of God, that the lovers 
of truth might yet find Him,) are the only repositories of true 
Christianity — tlie only witnesses for God, on which a wise man, 
one that values his salvation as he should, can rely upon. 

Abraham died in Canaan, which w T as his last abode on earth, 
and there his descendants remained about one hundred and fifty 
years afterwards ; but a famine occurring in that country, they 
removed into Egypt. Here, also, is seen the design of God to 
diffuse the knowledge of Himself over the world. Egypt at that 
time, or was to become, the cradle of knowledge ; thither flocked 
the aspirents for knowledge from all parts of the world, and 
thither the famine compelled Jacob and his household to re- 
move, carrying with them the knowledge of the one indivisible 
God, and his true worship, and bearing their testimony against 
idols and their impure worship. They went there with one 
hundred and twenty souls, and abode there upwards of four 
hundred years. During that time they had increased to six hun- 
dred thousand men over twenty, and under fifty years of age ; 
add to these the aged men, all the females and children, and we 
have an increase of several millions. For six hundred years 
therefore, Abraham and his posterity proclaimed the true God, 
and were placed in such a conspicuous situation that they gave 
light to all the world ; but at length they were dispised, reject- 
ed and trampled on, and their light well nigh extinguished. 

By this time the generations of men had greatly increased; and 
their habitations mightily extended ; and God, whose benevo- 
lence is commensurate with His wisdom and prudence, always 
adapting His means to the end to be accomplished, again in- 
terposed in a manner better calculated to meet the extended 
wants of the world. Moses is raised up to renew the knowledge 



H TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

of the true God, and to light the lamp of truth afresh. This He 
did in a much more clear, precise, extended and permanent man- 
ner. A whole nation were made the repositories of God's reve- 
lation, and a code of well defined and permanent laws establish- 
ed, eminating from God himself. Of the interposition of God 
in giving them, the assembled nation were made witnesses. It 
was made evident to the sight and hearing to have been no 
Priestcraft or cunning device of man ; but it was demonstrated 
by numerous and stupendous miracles, openly and frequently dis- 
played in the presence of tens of thousands of eye and ear wit- 
nesses, to be or God ; and on such evidences as these their faith 
rested. The Supreme Being never sends His messengers, without 
accompanying them ^ith the unerring proofs of diverse miracles, 

These laws, exhibiting the purity, the unity, the justice, the 
righteousness, and the benevolence of God, were recorded in a 
book, and deposited in the innermost part of the sanctuary, as 
abiding witnesses for God, and protected by cherubims, repre- 
senting a permanent guard, sent clown by God himself, out of 
Heaven. Rituals and ceremonies of various kinds were founded 
r >n and directed by these laws, and practical obedience rigidly 
enjoined on the whole nation. This made ihem a peculiar peo- 
ple, distinct and separate from all the rest of the world. 

This nation of worshippers of the one God, the creator of 
Heaven and earth, and ah things therein, became exceedingly 
conspicuous in the world, by heighths of prosperity and by 
depths of adversity. When obedient to the laws of God, they 
prospered and were more than a match for their combined ene- 
mies, " one could put a thousand to flight, and two could chase. 
ten thousand ; 5 ' but when disobedient, all their skill and valor 
could not deliver them from the power of their enemies ! The 
Supreme Being had a benevolent purpose to serve with the Jew- 
ish people; and, therefore, He delt with them in a manner dif- 
ferent from all other nations, both with severity and goodness. — 
This purpose was to enlighten the world; not, however, by mix- 
ing with them and participating in their spirit, philosophy or 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 35 

literature, but the reverse. They were to enlighten the world by 
renouncing all these, and by adhering implicitly and exclusively 
to the written precepts of Moses, the servant of God. They were 
not permitted to turn to the right hand or to the left, if, in their 
judgment, such a course would save the ivorld. It vjas made their 
duly to obey the precepts of God, and his only. This course i?i 
the judgment of God, was the best and the only way to accom- 
plish His wise and benevolent purpose of enlightening the world. 
The Jews, for disobedience to God's precepts, were often 
chastised in various ways ; and even these chastisements were 
by God made to serve His purpose, by suffering them to be car- 
ried away as captives among distant and idolatrous nations, and 
every where proclaiming the knowledge of the one true God — 
eternal and indivisible ; loving righteousness and hating evil ; 
whose nature was pure spirit ; and abhoring idols, and forbid- 
ding any manner of representations of Himself, under the pen- 
alty of His highest displeasure. This people exhibited a marked 
contrast to all the nations of the earth. They were set as 
lights in the world, that the nations might learn from them the 
knowledge of the one God. If other nations did not profit by 
it, it was because they w T ou!d not. And why did they, or why 
would they not? "Because, professing themselves to be wise, 
they became fools." This was pre-eminently the case with the 
philosophers and their disciples, and they that would be es- 
teemed learned. Although these men made it their business to 
visit foreign countries in quest of knowledge ; yet they sought 
it with the philosophers, and those that were esteemed the most 
learned of those countries; such as were estimated sages, and 
of the Priests. Presuming that none could know more of the 
Gods than such as professed to be their ministers, and fully in- 
itiated into their supposed mysteries ; and the more difficult the 
access to those mysteries, the more highly were they prized, 
and the greater the truth ; for, that which every person may- 
know is beneath the learned man's attention. In Egypt, 
whither all learned men went in the earliest times, especially for 



C5b TREATISE OK CHRISTIANITY. 

theological information, the knowledge of the one true God 
was with a degraded race of shepherds, whom all Egypt dis- 
pised. And, moreover, there were no mysteries thrown around 
it, and no mental effort required, and no pretended and profound 
secrets to be discovered and veiled under obscure allegories, 
difficult of comprehension. They sought for something that 
was to be in the possession of the learned only ; and the pos- 
session of which would cause their fellow men to esteem them 
very learned and wise. This was the case with men of all ages, 
and it is so now; even the unlearned among men esteem only that 
in religion which proceeds from the learned, so called. Hence 
theology, or the knowledge of God and his worship, is now 
classed among the "learned sciences," and a competent teacher of 
Religion must be of the learned; and it is denominated a "learned 
profession" — a science that should be as free as the light of the 
sun, and within the reach of the commonest capacity of all God's 
creatures, who are ameniable to its requirements. 

This is a sufficient reason why the leaned and ihe unlearned 
too, did not profit more by the revelation made by God to Abra- 
ham, and through Moses. And yet, another reason is, that its 
requirements did not meet their wishes. But this lamp of God 
did not shine in vain ; for tens of thousands of Heathens 
did abandon idolatry, and embrace the mosaic Religion, 
in all parts of the world ; for Jews were scattered over the 
habitable parts of the whole earth, and wherever two or three 
were, there they associated to worship the one God, by the 
reading of their law, prayers and praise to Jehovah. Wherever 
they might go, they bore testimony against idolatry and super- 
stition ; and en this account they were everywhere dispised, as 
being contrary to all men — notwithstanding, many proselytes 
were made in all countries. This is proven to be a fact from 
profane history, and, also, by the sacred Scriptures; for the 
apostles found synagogues of Jews in all parts of the world, and 
many proselytes among them. So that the objection is not at 
all true, that God confined his revelation to one nation m one 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 37 

comer of Asia. It was free for all the world, on conditions of 
obedience to its precepts ; and it was proclaimed to all the 
world, for Christ said " that they compassed sea and land to 
make proselytes." If the descendants of Abraham had (on 
account of the implicit and constant obedience to God of that 
illustrious patriarch and " friend of God,") some peculiar favors 
bestowed on them as a nation, they were, also, bound under 
superior obligations to obey God. They were truly, as a nation, 
a peculiar people, living under laws eminating from God him- 
self; and by circumcission, they covenanted to observe all His 
statutes. But if they did not do so the covenant was void, and 
they only secured the greater condemnation, and were treated as 
covenant breakers, and circumcission, the seal of that covenant, 
profited them nothing. Whereas, the heathen might embrace 
the knowledge which they possessed ; and if they practised the 
morality communicated thereby, they were not compelled to at- 
tend to the Rituals of the law, unless they chose to enter into 
covenant with God by receiving the seal of circumcission. This 
they might do ; but then, as the original descendant of Abra- 
ham, they must conform to the cerimonial laws also; so that it 
was optional with them. But not so with the original Jew; 
with him there was no choice. He was born in the covenant 
and to all its obligations. These sentiments are sustained by 
the apostle in these words : M For circumcission truly profiteth, 
if thou keep the law ; but if thou be a breaker of the law, thy 
circumcission is become uncircumcission ; therefore, if the un- 
circumcission keep the righteousness of the law, shall not His 
uncircumcission be counted for circumcission ? And shall not 
uncircumcission, which is by nature, if it fulfil the law, judge 
thee, who, by the letter and circumcission dost transgress the 
law ? For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, neither is 
that circumcission which is outward in the flesh ; but he is a 
Jew who is one inwardly, and circumcission is that of the heart 
in the spirit, and not in the letter, whose praise is not of men. 
hut of God." 



38 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY, 



Thus We see that God did design the knowledge which He 
communicated to Abraham, as well as that to his descendants 
through Moses, to be diffused through the world, for the benefit 
of all. And as the learned esteemed themselves too wise to accept 
of this gift of God, because unlearned men were, by God, made 
the proclaimers of it, is it to be wondered at, that He gave them 
over to their own devices ? This, on God's part, manifested no 
spirit of revenge or vindictiveness whatever; for it was no more 
than permitting them to make their election as free agents. — ■ 
Jehovah certainly possessed the right of selecting His owr 
agents for its conveyance. In the selection of Abraham, a hum- 
ble feeder of cattle, instead of a man of known celebrity as a 
philosopher, or for his knowledge of the mysteries of the "gods 
many," the feebleness of the instrument, and his unpretending 
occupation, demonstrated that the power and the source of his 
knowledge eminated from God and was not in himself. But, 
on the contrary, if the selection had been a learned sage, an 
adept in the occult sciences, then the interference of the Supreme 
Being might well have been doubted. The object of God is to 
draw mankind to Himself, that they may love and venerate their 
creator and preserver more than the creature ; and, also, that 
they may know assuredly that they are obeying the voice of 
God, and not of man. This principle is clearly seen in all 
God's communications to men. Does not this teach mankind 
that God designs that they should rely exclusively on Him for 
instruction in Religion ? Revealed Religion stands disconnect- 
ed with, and independent of all human wisdom and literature, 
It is of God, and for all. 

True, " Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egypt- 
ians ;" but, notwithstanding, he had been educated as the son 
of the King's daughter; yet he was a descendant of a degraded 
and dispised people — a people then laboring under oppressive 
bondage — a nation of slaves. Moses fraternized with his own 
persecuted tribes, and was, of consequence, looked upon as one 
of the offscourings of the earth ; for, it is also said of him, "that 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 39 

when he came to years, he refused to be called the son of Pha- 
roah's daughter, chosing rather to suffer affliction with the peo- 
ple of God." So that so far as reputation in the world is con- 
cerned, he had lost cast, and was considered a fool. The nation, 
therefore, of Preachers, whom God selected as the repositories 
and tJie publishers of His knowledge to all the world, was an 
illiterate and a dispised people. " This is the Lord's doings, 
and is marvellous in our eyes;" u O, the depth, both of the wis- 
dom and knowledge of God ! His ways are past finding out." 
But, alas, the infinite wisdom of God is condemned and rejected 
by the world ; because, "being vain in their own imagination," 
they dispise the ways of God, "being blinded by the god of this 
world." 

But in this renewal of God's revelation to the world through 
Moses, and the descendants of Abraham, we see His wisdom, 
goodness, and His concern for the inhabitants of the earth, fully 
manifested. The means are adopted and proportioned to the end. 

In the time of Abraham, the renewed world was not more 
than three hundred and fifty years old, and it commenced with 
eight individuals, and they could not have been very numerous, 
nor have covered any great extent of country. Therefore, one 
man and those connected with him, sufficed to spread that 
knowledge every where. Up to that period tradition was suf- 
ficient to have reminded mankind of the two important mani- 
festations of God, in the creation of all things, and of their de- 
struction, and the cause of that destruction, viz : unrighteous- 
ness and rebellion against His will. Possibly the remains of 
the ark, the instrument of Noah's preservation, still existed ; and 
Noah himself, lived to within two years of Abraham, and his 
son was contemporary with him. Seth, the son of Adam, and 
Mathusalah, lived together six hundred years, and Noah lived 
four hundred years with Mathusalah ; so that it was a very easy 
thing to retain and keep alive the knowledge of facts the most 
distant. 

From the call of Abraham to Moses, was about six hundred 



40 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

years; during this long space of time, extensive nations had 
been formed, and the inhabitants of the earth greatly augmented. 
But, also, the lives of men were contracted to their present 
limits, and the means of transmitting the knowledge of facts by 
tradition, proportionably diminished. The consequence was, 
that the recollection of the creation of man and all other things, 
had faded away, and was lost in vague and monstrous fables, 
and men were literally "without God in the world." To meet 
this state of things, God, in His manifestations by Moses, re- 
newed the knowledge of the creation, and made the truths com- 
municated permanent, by recording them in writing, and found- 
ing a nation on the basis of that revelation I This nation was 
to exist as the repositories of His laws, as a permanent " light 
to the world," and as proclaimers of the true God, until His 
fourth and last effort to rescue the world of mankind from their 
vain delusions, and bring them back to Himself, (that the "rest-, 
less wanderers" might indeed find rest,) arrived. 

The nature and the subjects of this revelation by Moses com- 
mend themselves to the understanding of all men, as worthy of 
the Supreme intelligence. The creation of man, for instance, 
and of all things, represents Him as infinite, wise, benevolent 
and omnipotent. Moses thus narrates it, and he does it with 
all the simplicity af naked truth, without any attempt to make 
what he relates appear reasonable and plausible ; but states them 
as facts, made known to him without any research of his own, 
and as altogether independent of the learning and philosophy of 
men. He, therefore, makes no pretentions to superior wisdom 
and penetration of his own, and no arguments are offered, and 
no persuasions used, to induce men to believe him ; but he did 
give proof to the whole Egyptian nation, and to his own people, 
of the divinity of his mission, ample and satisfactory proof — 
These are his words : ".In the beginning God created the 
heavens and the earth. And God said let there be light, and 
there was light ; and God said let there be a firmament in the 
midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters; 



THEAflSE ON CHRISTIANITY. 41 

and it was so! And God said let the waters under the heavens 
be gathered together in one place, and let the dry land appear; 
and it was so! And God called the dry land earth, and the 
gathering together of the waters called He seas. And God said 
let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the 
fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind whose seed is in its self; 
aud it was so! And God said let there be lights in the firmament 
of the heavens, to divide the day from the night, and let them 
be for signs and for seasons, and for days and for years; and it 
was so! And God said let the waters bring forth abundantly the 
moving creatures that have life, and fowl that mayfly above the 
earth in the open firmament of heaven ; and God blessed them, 
saying be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, 
and let fowl multiply in the earth. And God made the beasts 
of the earth after his kind, and every thing that creepeth upon 
the earth after his kind ; and God said let us make man in our 
image, after our likeness, and let them have dominion over the 
fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, 
and over all the earth, and orer every creeping thing that creep- 
eth upon the earth. So God made man in His own image; in 
the image of God created He him ; male and female created He 
them. And God blessed them, and said unto them be fruitful 
and multiply and replenish the earth and subdue it." Here is 
a clear, distinct, comprehensive, and rational narrative of the 
beginning of all things visible, and free from all the unsatisfac- 
tory, and to us, perplexing and absurd theories of plilosophers. 
All is referred to the omnipotent word of the Supreme Being. 
He spake and it was so ! 

The next subject that so much perplexed philosophers, was 
the evils that afflicted mankind, as the creatures or workman- 
ship of a benevolent being. Moses refers the whole to trans- 
gression on the part of man, and the consequent displeasure of 
God on account thereof. Now, whatever seeming difficulties 
the subject of the great, and the superabounding amount of 
misery that afflicts mankind in this life, may present ; yet a bet- 



42 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

ter reason cannot and never has been given, and never will.-—* 
Moses simply states the fact and there he leaves it. 

The being and the attributes of God, as maintained oy the 
Israelites, far surpasses all the theories of the rest of mankind 
in sublimity and grandeur of conception. Moses represents God 
as self-existing in these words, "I am that I am; I am God, and 
there is no God with me ;" "before me there was no God." He 
is called also "the high and lofty One, that inhabiteth eternity;" 
"from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God;" " Thy kingdom 
is an everlasting kingdom ;" " a thousand years are in Thy sight 
but as yesterday, when it is past, and as a watch in the night ;" 
thus sayeth the Lord of hosts, "I am the first, and I am the last, 
and beside me there is no God;" "thou compasseth my path and 
my lying down; whither shall I flee from thy presence, or whither 
shall I flee from thy spirit ? If I ascend up into heaven thou 
art there ; if I make my bed in hell, behold thou art there ; if I 
take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts 
of the sea, even there shall thy hand lead me." " Do I not fill 
heaven and earth, sayeth the Lord." "Thine, Lord, is the 
greatness and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the 
majesty, for all that is in heaven and in earth is Thine;" ''Thine is 
the kingdom, 0, Lord, and thou art exalted as head above all." 
"With God is terrible majesty;" "the voice of God is full of ma- 
jesty;" "He is clothed with majesty;" "who is like unto Thee, 
glorious in holiness, fearful in praises?" "The whole earth is full 
of his glory;" "the heavens declare the glory of God, and the 
firmament sheweth His handywork;" "darkness hidethnot from 
Thee, but the night shineth as the day; neither is there any crea- 
ture that is not manifest unto Thee, but all things are naked, and 
opened unto the eyes of Hirn w T ith whom we have to do; for there 
is not a word in my tongue, but lo, 0, Lord, thou knowest it alto- 
gether; if I say surely the darkness shall cover me, even the night 
shall be light about me ; my substance was not hid from Thee 
when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest 
parts of the earth ; Thy eyes did see my substance, yet being un- 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 43 

perfect, and in Thy book all ray members were written, which 
in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of 
Them." 

Such were the sublime conceptions entertained by a people 
w T ho made no pretentions to literature or philosophy, of the self- 
existence, the eternity, the unity, the omnipotence and omnipre- 
sence of the Supreme Being. But what were their conceptions 
of His moral attributes? " All God's ways are right, and ways 
of judgment;" "a God of truth and without iniquity; just and 
righteous is He;" "I will ascribe righteousness to my Maker; He 
is the righteous Lord that loveth righteousness;" "Thy right hand 
is full of righteousness ;" "there is no unrighteousness in the 
Lord;" "righteousness and judgment are the habitations of Thy 
throne ;" "wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked? 
That be far from Thee, to slay the righteous with the wicked, and 
that the righteous should be as the wicked ; that be far from 
Thee;" "shall not the judge of all the earth do right ?" "The 
Lord God abundent in goodness and truth, merciful and gra- 
cious;" "all the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth;" "Thou, 
Lord, art a God full of compassion, gracious, long suffering, 
and plenteous in mercy and truth;" "the Lord is good; His mercy 
is everlasting, and His truth endureth to all generations;" "He is 
a faithful God, which keepeih covenant and mercy with them that 
love Him, and keep His commandments;" "Thy faithfulness is 
in all generations;" "great is Thy faithfulness:" "Thy councils 
of old are faithfulness and truth;" "Thou art of purer eyes than 
to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity;" "God is pure;" 
who is like unto Thee, O Lord, glorious in holiness;" "ye shall 
be holy, for I, the Lord, your God, am holy;" "there is none holy 
as the Lord; the Lord is holy'in all His works; holy, holy, holy, 
is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full ot His glory;" 
"Thou art a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to 
anger, and of great compassion ;" "how great is Thy loving 
kindness, O God, therefore do the sons of men put their trust 
•H»l»r t^° shadow of Thv wings;" "I am the Lord which exercise 



44 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

loving kindness, and judgment, and righteousness in the earth 5 
for in these things I delight, sayeth the Lord ;" " the penitent 
shall pray unto God, and He will be favorable unto him, and he 
shall see His face with joy, for He will render to every man his 
righteousness ;" "Thou, Lord, wilt bless the righteous, with 
favor wilt thou compass him about as with a shield," "a good 
man obtaineth favor of the Lord, but a man with wicked 
devices will He condemn." 

Such were the views of tne Isrealites in relation to God's 
moral attributes, and are they not worthy of our admiration, 
veneration and imitation ? And are they not calculated to 
unite all men of good principles to Him, in love and gratitude ? 
Whilst his love of righteousness, justice, truth and purity, con- 
demns their opposite ; yet, His benevolence, mercy, loving 
kindness and compassion, invites to repentence. " Let the 
wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts, 
and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon 
him, and to our God and He will abundantly pardon. As I live 
sayeth the Lord, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked." 
What more can good principles and sound reason require ? — 
Does not the representation as given of the existence and attri- 
butes of the Supreme intelligence by the Isrealites, accord with 
the best feelings of man's nature ? Are they not such as meet 
His greatest necessities ? Are they not promotive of His best 
interests and the best interests of society ? This sublime and 
rational knowledge of God was known to Abraham in the earli- 
est period of man's history, and by him proclaimed to all men 
then living. These, also, were the views repeated by Moses, 
and made permanent by a written code of laws and a national 
institution established on them ; which, as a lighted city, placed 
on an eminence, exhibited the knowledge of the one true God 
to all the nations of the earth. And yet, all this time the whole 
world outside of this lighted city, was involved in darkness, and 
consequent gross idolatry; attributing to the gods of their own 
imaginings, the basest passions of perverted and corrupt men. 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 45 

with power and cunning to do immense more mischief; and 
their wisest men too, though dispising the gross and glaringly 
absurd superstition, fastened on the body of the people by the 
crafty Priesthood, were vainly endeavoring, by searching, to 
find the invisible God ; and even they being doubtful of their 
own theories, encouraged idolatry in others. 

Is Jehovah to blame, if men will continue to persist in lean- 
ing on their own understandings . and to reject His proffered aid 9 
If they will continue to say, " depart from us, O, God, for we 
desire not the knowledge of Thy ways." 

The morality of the revelation of God's mind as taught by 
Abraham and Moses, commends itself to every man's con- 
science, as worthy of the source to which it is attributed; and 
that is to God, the impartial Father of the human family. We 
have seen, also, that the purpose of these communications were 
to embrace all the world ; and that the true reason why the 
world remained in gross error and superstitious idolatry was, 
because they rejected the council of God, and preferred gods of 
their own imaginings ! That the morality of every religion will 
partake of the character conceived to be possessed by the being 
from whom they originate, is an obvious truth. Hence God is 
represented as reproving the Jews for their delinquencies, in this 
language : " Ye thought that I was a God like unto yourselves." 
We have seen that the character of the Supreme Being, as pro- 
claimed by Abraham and by Moses, is such as to demand a 
pure worship, and a high order of morality. For, every attri- 
bute that by reverencing, loving and imitating, are calculated 
to purify the heart, exalt man, and benefit society, are ascribed 
to Him ; and the reverse of all these are declared to be exceed- 
ingly hateful to Him. 

The proof of this is found in the Ten Commandments, which 
are introduced with the following charge from God: iC J am the 
Lord, thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of 
Egypt, out of the house of bondage ; thou shalt have no God 
beside me; thou shalt not make to thyself any graven image, or 



46 TREATISE OS CHRISTIANITY. 

■any likeness of any thing that is in Heaven above, or on the 
earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth ; thou shalt 
not bow down to them, nor worship them, for I, the Lord, thy 
God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon 
the children, unto the third and fourth generation of them that 
hate me, and shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love 
me and keep my commandments." 

In this preface to what follows, facts are given in relation to 
God's government of the world, that are calculated, and were 
intended, to operate on the recipients of His law as a caution, 
and as a motive for their strict observance. The feelings of the 
parent are appealed to, which are the strongest next to self- 
preservation, of human nature; and in some, it is even stronger 
than self-preservation itself! They are forewarned that the 
welfare and the happiness of their children, and of their descen- 
dant, to the third and fourth generation, greatly depended on 
their/'' . - :ss in observing the precepts to be given ; and this 
caution equally applied to every succeeding generation through- 
out all time to come. If, therefore, men wish prosperity to their 
descendants or to their country, let them be careful to observe 
those laws and that course of conduct, on which alone happiness 
and the blessings of Heaven can be secured. To expect either 
in any other way is vain. Furthermore, if men could secure 
happiness to themselves and transmit it to posterity, by obeying 
the impulses of their own hearts, then the knowledge, the love, 
and the fear of God, would ail be banished from the world, and 
all men would live as best pleased themselves. But the benevo- 
lence of Jehovah hath decreed otherwise. 

Also, by forbidding all and any manner of resemblance to any 
creature, in any part of the universe, all vain imaginings are cut 
off effectually. So that it is seen that all good flows from one 
undivided fountain -, and that is God; and to whom all honor, 
worship, gratitude, love and obedience, is due. Hence it is 
said, ci thou shalt love the Lord, thy God, with all thy heart, 
mind, soul and strength." And it is the command of the same 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 47 

God, that all men should " love each other as themselves." — 
Thus establishing between all mankind, every where over the 
face of the whole earth, a bond of brotherhood ; cemented to- 
gether by mutual acts of benevolence. This benevolent object 
is contemplated and aimed at throughout all the writings of the 
Old and New Testaments. " The end or intention of all God's 
commandments, is chanty out of a pure heart, and love un- 
feigned." Is not this true ? Is not such an object worthy of 
the intervention of God ? Can any better means of bringing 
about that result, be conceived of than an explicit and lucid de- 
claration from the great Eternal Himself, of His nature and 
attributes, and a code of laws corresponding ? In which laws 
are plainly stated what is pleasing and what is displeasing to 
Him; and exhortations and motives to obedience, and admoni- 
tions and threats to the disobedient. Can any man conceive of 
any rational objection to this ? That men never could have at- 
tained to this knowledge, is made manifest by their many long, 
ardent, persevering, and fruitless attempis. Therefore, it was 
infinite goodness on the part of the Supreme Being, to inter- 
pose ; and that which we claim as His interposition through 
Abraham and Moses, is altogether worthy of Him, whom good 
men would desire should govern in the affairs of the world, and 
worthy of the Father of all mankind. Justice, righteousness, 
mercy and truth, are the basis of all God's precepts to men. — 
Where, then, can the objection be found? No where, but in 
men's repugnance to those holy and preserving principles ! — 
Principles, which, if they were observed by men, as God de- 
signed they should be, would fill the world with happiness ; dry 
up the tears of the widow and the orphan, and soothe the anguish 
of wretchedness and woe, that ever has, and which now, fill 
the world. This earth would again be a paridise, under the 
reign of God ; and the whole family of man become one brother- 
hood. 



48 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

THE ABUSE OF THE SYSTEM OF SACRIFICES BY 
THE WORLD; THEIR TRUE DESIGN RESTORED BY 
GOD THROUGH MOSES, AND THE WISE AND BE- 
NEVOLENT OBJECT OF THE JEWISH ECONOMY. 

The universal received notion of animal sacrifices, (for such 
it is,) was doubtless, derived from a primitive revelation from 
God. But, like all other primitive truths, their true object and 
significaney had been totally lost sight of, and fabulous inven- 
tions substituted in their room. All these fabled sacrifices, and 
their uses bear ihe slamp of their origin, and plainly show thera 
to have been the invention of crafty men ; for no wise and good 
end was pointed to by them. The gods being first invented, 
and a nature and character assigned them, such as are possessed 
in common with men ; a service was instituted in conformity 
with such base notions. And, moreover, the framers of those 
religious systems had interests of their own to serve ; and, of 
consequence, these interests would be amply provided for. — - 
Such were the ends and the objects of the Heathen sacrifices.— 
No moral or virtuous end was proposed by them. No lessons 
of justice, righteousness, mercy or truth were taught by them ; 
but much of the contrary inculcated. They were designed to 
appease the vindictive tvrath of malevolent and powerful beings, 
whom they dreaded ; or to reward them for victories — bloody 
victories — obtained over their enemies, and consequent slaughter 
of human beings ; and, also, as rewards for lustful gratifications. 
They were taught that the more frequent and costly the sacri- 
fices were, the more favor might be expected. This idea led 
men to offer human sacrifices by thousands, exs ending even to 
the sacrificing of their own children ! Females would offer 
themselves at the temples of Venus to public prostitution, as an 
acceptable and pleasing religious service to the goddess of Love! 
Fear, envy and hatred, were all deified, and had their temples, 
offerings and sacrifices, peculiar to their natures. Every faculty 
of the body and of the mind, had their appropriate gods, temples 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 49 

nnd services. The splendid and fashionable city of Corinth , 
in her highest state of refinement and civilization, had a mag- 
nificent temple dedicated to Venus, frequented by thousands of 
courtizans, to allure impure worshippers; and so with all the 
other sensations of body and soul ! This proved itself to be a re- 
ligion of man's invention ; because it was perfectly adapted to his 
nature, in its lowest sensual degradation; and this was a glorious 
harvest for the Priesthood, for whose benefit, and by whom, all 
was gotten up; and it pleased the people, because it ministered 
to their pleasures and their animal propensities, and yet prom- 
ised them a heaven of kindred enjoyments in the regions of 
bliss. 

The Mosaic institution also recognized sacrifices, and yet 
we claim for it a Divine origin. Truely it does, and still we 
claim God for its author without a blush. How is this ?— 
Moses restored the system of sacrifices to their primitive use and 
signification, which was the reverse of all other nations ! Their 
object and end was, to attain the highest state of morals, and 
purity of body and soul of the offerers. The great and leading 
truths of Moses were, first, the purity of God, as infinitely 
above and removed from any of the imperfections of men ; and 
secondly, that mankind were impure and grossly depraved ; 
" That the whole head was sick, and the heart faint, and no 
soundness in them ; but from the crown of the head to the soles 
of their feet, there was nothing but w T ounds, bruises, and putri- 
fying sores, that had not been bound up, nor molified with oint- 
ment;" and thirdly, this dreadful condition was the consequence 
of their having violated every principle of God's righteous gov- 
ernment, and in their madness and frenzy they had severed the 
ties ot society, and totally destroyed the brotherhood of the hu- 
man family ; and having of their own free will, and of choice, 
wickedly rebelled against their creator and preserver. They 
had, on the principle of all righteousness, forfeited the protec- 
tion and the preserving care of God ; and, therefore, all man- 
kind were considered as lying under sentence of condemnation 



50 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

and death, "without God and without hope!" Is there any 
thing unrighteous on the part of God in thus considering them? 
Or rather, would it not have been unrighteous on His part to 
have viewed mankind under the circumstances in which they 
chose to place themselves in any other light ? Most certainly 
justice and righteousness must have cast them off forever ! — 
There is no denying this conclusion. Now only admit that 
God is just, holy and good, and that He is the moral governor 
of men, and, consequently, that men are accountable to Him ; 
and 2d, admit that they are immortal, and it follows that in the 
life to come, they cannot be in fellowship with God, because 
they are condemned rebels. God was pleased to stamp im- 
mortality on man, and as immortal beings they threw off all 
fear, gratitude and reverence for God and His righteous govern- 
ment, and as immortal beings they must abide the consequences 
of their voluntary acts, and that was banishment from God, and 
from the society of all pure and obedient spirits, whilst immor- 
tality endures ! Are not these conclusions contained in the 
premises ? And are they not fairly deduced from them ? Most 
certainly they are. Now, if any door of escape be found from 
this dreadful condition, it must, of necessity, be opened by an 
act of free and unmerited mercy on the part of God ! This can- 
not be disputed. Again, a moral, or any other kind of govern- 
ment, without laws, or laws without penalties, or penalties 
without justice and truth, to execute them on the transgressors, 
is no government at all ; but a mere mockery! Now, Moses re- 
presents God as the moral governor of men, and as such, He 
gave the first created pair a law, with a penalty annexed, and 
that was moral death, which is a separation from God, the 
source and fountain of moral law and purity. Man, unfortu- 
nately, did transgress ! Justice and truth, therefore, demanded 
that the penalty of the law should be executed. There was no 
alternative ! Can any reasonable man deny this conclusion ? — 
Then, where is hope, if justice and truth are preserved uncon- 
taminated ? Even mercy could not reach thern, without satis- 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 51 

tying those two principles! This, we think, is undeniable. — 
We, of consequence, are speaking in relation to the government 
of the Deity as we would of the righteous and just administra- 
tion of the governments of men ; for, if we will reason on 
such high concerns at all, we can do it in no other manner. — 
And if we arc not permitted to apply the same principles of 
moral conduct to God, as we do in speaking of men, then we 
cannot converse rationally of Him at all ! Only admit, there- 
fore, that we may thus speak, and our conclusion, as above, is 
perfectly rational, and it would be unreasonable to assert the 
contrary. 

In this hopeless condition in which mankind had placed them- 
selves by transgression, the superabounding benevolence of the 
Creator is represented as vigorously employed in devising means 
" whereby His banished ones should not be expelled forever." 
During this interval of deep council, all the inhabitants of the 
regions of bliss are represented as being absorbed in mute as- 
tonishment, " and there was silence in Heaven for the space cf 
half an hour." The result of this council was thus announced : 
" I have found a ransom ;" and joy swelled all Heaven in rap- 
tures of delight. Will the wise of ihis world smile at this, and 
why? Is there no reason in it ? God is addressing men cs 
men, and that kind of language is employed by Him, suited to 
their capacities, and best adapted to make the di sired impression. 
When any subject of vital importance and vast interest to men 
is under consideration, the whole soul is absorbed in thought, 
and breathloss silence seizes those who feel an interest in the 
result. This, therefore, teaches men the profound concern of 
God for His rational creatures ; and, also, the feeling of kindly 
sympathies existing between God's higher order of intelligences 
and mankind. Is not such a lesson calculated to operate favora- 
bly on man's moral conduct? It gives him a higher estimate of 
his nature and destiny, and urges him to demean himself accord- 
ingly, and to aspire afier moral excellence, that he may prove 
himself worth) of sympathies, which he sees are exerted in bis 



bt TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

favor by an high order of intelligences, and by God himself. — 
The language, therefore, is adapted to our modes of thinking, 
and is highly beneficial and instructing, and in no way deroga- 
tory to the intelligence and character of God. Christ said, " If 
I tell you of earthly things, and ye believe not, how can ye be- 
lieve if I tell you of Heavenly things?" The obvious meaning 
is this : if I illustrate my doctrines, to bring them within the 
compass of your capacity, by such things as you are conversant 
with, and you yet comprehend not my meaning, how much less 
will ye do so if I should converse to you in language adapted 
to the modes of thinking pertaining to higher orders of intelli- 
gences? We are, therefore, compelled to reason of God and His 
doings as we do of men; and when He communicates with us, 
He must do the same, or we could not be benefited by it. On 
this rational principle, God's revelation is given to the world. 

Well, on this interposition of Heaven to save mankind from 
eternal condemnation, the whole system of the sacrifices, as in- 
stituted by Moses, is founded — justice and purity of God, and 
the pollution of man are also illustrated by them and other 
rituals of the law. So that the very best and purest ends, and 
the highest grade of morality is taught, and was designed 
by the whole Mosaic economy. And in this it differs from, 
and as far surpasses the Heathen systems, as God differs from 
men. The one is demonstrated to be of man, and the other of 
God. All the washings of the body, and the purifications of 
all things appertaining to the service of God, was to remind the 
worshipper of the immaculate purity of God, and of the abso- 
lute purity required of them that would please Him. Many of 
the sacrifices were penalties for the violation of the moral law ; 
not, however, as a commutation for morality, or a substitution 
for good works. For the law demanded for all wrong done by 
man against his fellow man, first, full restitution to the injured 
party, with an addition in some cases of four times the amount; 
and in all cases it must exceed the injury. And after this resti- 
tatioa, and the addition as a penalty to the injured party, there 



TREATISE OV CBRISTIAKITY, 53 

Was still another penalty to be paid to the violated majesty of 
<rhe law, and for the want of reverence for the law-giver. This 
was usually a sacrifice, more or less costly, having respect to 
the condition of the transgressor, and to the magnitude of the 
offence. A large portion of such penalties went to compensate 
the officers or ministers of the law, for the labor of killing, clean- 
ing, washing, cutting up, and burning a small portion on the 
alter. Harder, adultery, and a willful and wicked contempt for 
God and His righteous laws, were punished with death. The 
law of Moses was extremely precise in its enactments; so that 
the transgressor could not escape the penalties. Every act by 
which a man might contaminate himself, was deemed a misde- 
meanor, and he must atone for it before he could approach God 
in prayer. All proving the object to be to train the people up 
in holiness, righteousness, truth and moral goodness, and to 
" make the way of transgressors hard." 

We are aware that morality has different significations with 
different nations ; but it always has reference to some law re- 
cognized as of binding authority on tlie conscience. Hence it is 
that the morality as well as the religious services of any people, 
will correspond with their notions of the character and require- 
ments of God ; as no people will ever presume to be better than 
their gods ! That morality, or that law of action which re- 
quires a course of conduct between man and his fellow man. 
best calculated to promote union, peace, and mutual kind offices, 
and which teaehes us to consider each other as the offspring of 
one common Father, and as one family of brethren, must be 
promotive of a vast amount of more human happiness than any 
other. On this principle of estimating morality, the character 
and the requirements of the almighty God, as proclaimed in the 
Jewish writings or Holy Scriptures, shine forth preeminently 
above that of all the Heathen nations that ever existed in the 
world. Then we may safely conclude that they are infinitely 
more worthy of the benevolence of the Creator of the world. 

The nature and the attributes ascribed to God by Abraham 



54 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY, 

and by Moses, are manifestly such as attest the divinity of their 
origin, and which, both of whom declare, are not the attain- 
ments of research, or of their finding out; but by express reve- 
lition from God himself; and not for themselves or their de- 
scendants only, but for the benefit of all mankind. They were 
only chosen as the channels of its conveyance to the world. If 
the descendants of these servants of God, in the pride of their 
hearts, thought otherwise, which as a nation they did ; yet God 
in His providence, compelled them to scatter the light over the 
world. And if the god of this world, who rules in the hearts of 
the children of disobedience, did through the pride of philoso- 
phy, learning and wickedness, blind the hearts of the people to 
whom it was gent, then the sin of rejection lieth at their own 
door. 

Now, if this knowledge of the Supreme Intelligence which is 
beyond all controversy, exceedingly beyond all that the wisdom 
of men ever could have attained to — be not by revelation, from 
whence is it ? Was the herdsman, Abraham, wiser than all the 
learned philosophers of his own day; yea, and for two thousand 
years after him ? And, moreover, wiser than all the haughty 
ministers and prelates who ministered at the alters, and professed 
to be initiated by long study and apprenticeship, into all the 
secrets of the gods, and as having the exclusive right of direct- 
ing the devotions of the people ? All this must be admitted, or 
the claim of Abraham and Moses to a revelation follows of ne- 
cessity. In what other way could they have obtained a knowl- 
edge so far beyond all others on the face of the whole earth ? — 
It will doubtless require more ingenuity of argument to sol,ye 
this question satisfactorily, and more credulity to believe that 
it could have been obtained any other way, than it requires to 
prove it to have been by revelation, and. to believe it also ; that 
even Abraham in that early day, did proclaim one only God. 
just, righteous, holy, good and merciful, and opposed to all 
grades of unrighteousness and impurity ; and in all these the 
antipodes to man, is beyond question true. Now such a char- 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 55 

acter as this is contrary to the known suggestions of man, un- 
aided by revelation. The proof of this is found in the history 
of the utmost efforts of his wisdom ! To deny it, is to deny the 
whole history of man ; for the fruits of his researches and their 
practices too, on this subject, are as amply displayed on the page 
of history, as are any other of the deeds of mankind, and, there- 
fore, we have the same evidence for all. 

As for Moses, he is yet more luminous in his exhibition of the 
nature and the attributes of the Supreme Being ; but it is built 
on the foundation laid by Abraham, clearly proving that the one, 
and the only God, was the author of both. At this period as 
we have proven, and for two thousand years afterward, the whole 
world were involved in the worship of beings almost numberless, 
and possessing attributes and emotions of mind and body like 
themselves, only to a greater extent to do evil or good. This is 
unquestionably true. Where, we repeat, did Abraham and Mo- 
ses obtain their transcendantly superior knowledge of the Supreme 
Intelligence, if not by revelation ? It cannot be ascribed to 
any other source. Then it was by revelation from God Himself. 

Is it so marvelous a thing for God to interpose, to aid our ig- 
norance on such a subject, as to make it a matter of astonish- 
ment and incredulity ? We think that the wonder should rather 
be if He had not ! The peace, happiness, and general well- 
fare of mankind even in this life demanded it ; for who will say 
that if men should conform their lives to the precepts of Moses, 
the happiness of the world would not be secured thereby ? The 
only objection that can be plausibly urged against the divinity 
of Moses' mission, is the dispossessing of the Canaanites, and 
occupying their country. The reason for this, as assigned by- 
revelation is, " that the measure of their iniquity was full ;" 
that their crimes called for the interposition of the Ruler of the 
universe, and in this instance the Isrealites were made the in- 
struments of God's displeasure against their crimes. And how 
often has this been the case with other nations ? If not by God's 
special command, yet in His providence as the righteous gov- 



56 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

crnor of the world. Who will deny the interference of God ia 
the affairs of men ? None but an Atheist would, surely !— • 
Thomas Jefferson, though no friend to revelation, said in refer- 
ence to God, that He possessed no attribute that could take 
sides with the oppressor ; and, therefore, he feared for his coun- 
try, who held in bondage a portion of their fellow men. This 
was recognising an interference on the part of God in the af- 
fairs of men. The Isreahtes had been by superior power, made 
slaves of in Egypt, " and God said that the cry of their oppres- 
sion had moved Him to deliver them ;" and, also, that the 
wickedness of the Canaanites moved Him to destroy them. — 
The Almighty had highly favored them for about one thousand 
years, and they had abused His goodness, and this oppressed 
nation supplanted them. Is there any thing extraordinary in all 
this? Was not these same Isrealites threatened with the very 
same fate, if they proved ungrateful and disobedient ? They 
were so ; and did God spare them ? Let their frequent captivi- 
ties and their ultimate and total destruction tell I Let their 
present condition, continued as it has been for eighteen hundred 
years, tell ! Does Moses make the Supreme Being partial in 
His administration of the world ? Did he not forewarn them, 
that God would scatter them among all the nations of the earth, 
and make them a by- word, and a proverb of reproach with all 
people ? And is it not so at this day ? What nation under the 
whole Heavens have endured more than the Jews r Other con- 
quered nations have amalgamated, and thereby forgotten their 
former degradation ; whilst the Isrealites seem destined to con- 
tinue a distinct people, that their punishment may be augment- 
ed ! And why is this so ? Because they sinned against greater 
knowledge, and were ungrateful for greater blessings. In them 
behold the truth and the impartial judgments of God ! If a 
people be exalted to Heaven, yet they shall, if ungrateful, be 
thrust down to the lowest destruction. So that this objection 
raised against the divinity of the mission of Moses, is not for- 
midable when duly considered. 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 57 

But there is, in connection with the former, another of greater 
weight, and that is the destruction of unoffending women and 
children ! Now, a large portion of the women may have been 
as bad as the men ; but the children were certainly innocent.— 
Why, then, did God not make a distinction in favor of the chil- 
dren ? Most assuredly, says the objector, if God commanded 
the deed, He would not have punished the innocent as the 
guilty. And so we say ; that be far from God ! " Shall not 
the Judge of all the earth do right ?" He cannot do otherwise! 
But immortality is taught by revelation ; and if that be true, 
what injustice is done the innocent children, if deprived of a 
few uncertain days, and they full of sorrow in this life ? They 
only enter on an immortal and happy state the sooner. Is this 
unrighteous with God ? All the adults among the Canaanites 
that reverenced God in their hearts and life, were housed in 
Heaven, and certainly all the children were admitted to a blessed 
immortality ; " for God is no respecter of persons, but in every 
nation they that fear Him and do righteously, are accepted by 
Him." So far as appearances go of what relates to this life, 
the innocent, and children too, partake equally of the sufferings 
that are in the world, with the evil doer. It is in another life 
where the distinguishing line will be clearly drawn ; and all shall 
discern between Ihe just and the unjust; and between they that 
have served God, and they that have served Him not. So that 
objection also looses its seeming horrors ; and to men, whose 
views are confined to this life only, are they objections at all. — 
There is an epidemic disease that visits our country, of which 
children are as much the sufferers as adults. In all famines, 
pestilences, earthquakes, floods, ship wrecks, and all disasters of 
which this world is subject, children, and the unoffending, arc 
visited alike with the vilest transgressor oi all law ! These are 
mysteries in the moral government of God, which nothing but 
immortality can reconcile with righteousness in ihe Almighty. 
But that glorious truth of revelation reconciles these apparent 
contradictions, and justifies the ways of God to men. This 



63 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

same principle is acted on by all wise and good parents in every 
day life. They deprive their children of many enjoyments, that 
are eagerly sought after by them, because the parent foresees 
that such will militate against the duties to be discharged by 
them as men and women in after life. The same law governs 
all the family, whether good or bad ; the transgressor alone en- 
dures its stern and rigorous penalties, however, at the hand of 
parental justice. 

Even so the sinner shall be made to feel the penalty of violated 
moral law, in its stern realities in the life to come. Whilst the 
seeming sternness and rigor of God's moral government in this 
world, will be found to have conduced to the felicity of the in- 
nocent in that immortal state. So that men, in judging of the 
apparent severities and indiscriminate providences of the Ruler 
of the Universe, are sure to err if they confine themselves to 
this life only ; but God alone could interpret it, and this He has 
done by revelation. Here it is that we see, though the bud of 
our existence may be bitten, yet the flower of immortality will 
bloom in sweeter fragrance ! And, on the other hand, though 
the bud of the existence of transgressors may appear to swell 
with pleasure, yet we are assured that the flower will be blasted. 
Thus we have seen these two prominent objections vanish in 
the light of historical facts and of revelation, and both conspire 
to vindicate Moses as a divine messenger, and the dealings of 
God to man are justified. 

But, again, the Mosaic system is the mere panoramic view, 
or shadowing forth of a more perfect one that was to come after 
it. It was a school, a primary school, preparatory to higher at- 
tainments, designed by the common parent of all mankind. — 
And those initiatory rites and ceremonies contained the germ of 
an infinitely precious flower, whose fragrance has descended to 
us of the 19th century, and will continue to perfume the earth 
as long as the sun and moon endures ! 

They are all the eminations of the life giving determination 
of God's boundless benevolence, proclaimed in these words : "I 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 69 

have found a ransom ;" and, " the seed of the woman shall 
bruise the serpent's head." The gradual developing of His 
ultimate purpose. These rites of the law of Moses, when 
viewed abstractly and alone, simply as religious ceremonies ac- 
ceptable to God, are trivial and unworthy of His wisdom and 
character. But when interpreted by Himself, as referring to 
moral purity in the worshippers themselves, and also to future 
events in the history of man's redemption from his guilt and con- 
sequent degradation, they then lose their frivolity and insignifi- 
cance altogether ; and we see in them emblems of vast impor- 
tance, and depths of divine wisdom and love ! The ripe scholar 
may look back on the lessons of his primer, and smile con- 
temptuously at the insignificance of the means used; neverthe- 
less, they were the source of his present greatness, and without 
which he could not have attained it. Even so, we of the pres- 
ent day of superior light, and a purer worship, may condemn 
the grossness of the Mosaic worship ; yet that worship con- 
tained the germ of our present exaltation ; " that without them 
we could not be perfect." The apostle Peter expresses our idea 
thus : " Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of 
your souls, of which salvation the prophets have enquired and 
searched diligently, who prophecied of the grace that should 
come unto you. Searching what, and what manner of time the 
spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified 
beforehand of the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should 
follow. To whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but 
vmto us, they did minister the things that are now reported unto 
you by them who have proclaimed the Gospel unto you, with 
the Holy Ghost sent down from Heaven ; which things the 
Angels desire to look into." They all pointed to, and centred 
in, the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. His atonement, media- 
tion, priesthood, and the purity of His teachings, or that purity 
of heart and of character, which his teachings call for and 
demand ; for " the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth 
came by Jesus Christ," This is the same idea differently ex- 



£0 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY . 

pressed, and that is the ceremonies of the law, that " were only 
shadows of good things to come ; and not the very things them- 
selves," was given by Moses, the servant of God ; but the full- 
ness of the blessings, and the substance of them all, came by 
Jesus Christ, the Son of God ; " in whom we have redemption 
in His blood, even the forgiveness of sins." David, the King 
of Isreal, and himself a Prophet, and, consequently, correctly un- 
derstood the true import of the ceremonial law, speaks thus : 
u Sacrifices and offerings thou wouldst not, burnt offerings and 
«in offerings hast thou not required. Then said I, lo, I come ; 
in the volume of Thy book it is written of me." 

This was the light which God had permanently set in the 
midst of the nations, until the time arrived for the perfecting of 
His purposes in relation to " His banished ones, that they might 
not be expelled forever." 

There is much meaning in that declaration of the Son of God 
to Pilate, viz : " Every one who are of the truth heareth my 
words." To such, and to such only, Christ, (or which is the same 
thing, a revelation from God,) was the " desire of all nations ;" 
for among all nations there were many who ardently desired 
to know the truth of religion, that they might please God, by 
obeying His will. And it was of such, that Jesus said " they 
shall come from the East and from the West, and shall sit down 
with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, in the kingdom of Heaven, 
and ye children of the kingdom (Jews) shall be thrust out." — 
To all such lovers of truth, God has never failed to make known 
His will. This we have seen exemplified in the history of 
Noah, Abraham, the Jews in Egypt, and under the Mosaic dis- 
pensation. They, under their various circumstances, were the 
lights of the world, until the " Sun of Righteousness arose," 
and then He eclipsed all the lesser lights, and superceded them 
all; and He remains " the light of the world," and being the 
Son of God — " God with us" — there can be none greater, and 
will, therefore, abide forever. 

If it be asked why such gross darkness, and consequent idola- 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 61 

try and ignorant superstition, covered the earth, as authentic 
history records ? This question is rationally and satisfactorily 
answered by an Apostle thus : " Because they did not like to 
retain God in their thoughts, therefore He gave them over to a 
reprobate mind ;" and, because, token they knew God, they 
honored Him not as God, neither were thankful ; but became 
vain in their imaginations, and their foolish hearts were darken- 
ed. Professing themselves to be w r ise, they became fools, and 
changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made 
like unto corruptible man, and to birds, and four footed beasts, 
and to creeping things. Wherefore, God also gave them up to 
uncleanness, through the desires of their own hearts. " Who 
changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped (or honored 
and reverenced) the creature more than the Creator; who is 
blessed for evermore ; and for this cause God gave them up to 
vile affections," &c. 

This cause for the gross idolatry of the world, must be ad- 
mitted as infallibly true by all believers in revelation. For it is 
the cause assigned by Jehovah himself. It will admit, there- 
fore, of no dispute. Consequently the position for which we 
contend, vis : That the world was at no time left by God with- 
out a sufficient knowledge of His nature and attributes, so as to 
have enabled all mankind to worship Him truly. 

This cause, which was productive of the idolatry, and conse- 
quent superstition and wickedness of the Pagan world, ope- 
rates in all ages of man's history, to produce the same effects to a 
greater or less degree, according to the peculiar circumstances 
of the times ; and it matters not how clear and full the revela- 
tion of God's will may be, the same cause will overcome its 
clearness and fullness ; " and will change the truth of God into 
a lie," if circumstances are favorable The cause of the gross 
darkness which covered the earth, as assigned by God was, 
" that men did not like to retain the knowledge of God in their 
hearts." And why did they not ? It was because men do not 
like the restraints which God requires of them. This is sus- 



62 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

tained by the declaration of Christ, that " men love darkness 
rather than light, because their deeds are evil." 

All this is fully exemplified by the fate of the Christian sys- 
tem ; but a short time from the departure of the Apostles of 
Jesus Christ from the world. That clear, brilliant and perfect 
revelation of God's will and purposes, in relation to mankind, 
and which is presented to "the readers of the New Testament in 
such plain terms, as not to be mistaken. Yet, even that was 
turned into fabled legends. Yes, scarcely two generations had 
passed away, and the lively recollections of the persons, and 
the instructions, the warnings and the cautions of Christ, and of 
His Apostles, had become dimed by the lapse of years, than 
their Heavenly truths were obscured in thick clouds of error and 
superstition. And this also was effected by men becoming vain 
in their imaginations ; and by the vain imaginings of the very 
persons who assumed to be the best friends of Christ, and of 
His Gospel! The very class of men who professed to have 
Christianity in their special keeping ! Yes, men who claimed to 
be selected by God to preserve His revelation from corruption 
and injury, did, themselves, " turn the truth of God into a lie ;" 
u and their foolish hearts were darkened;" "professing them- 
selves to be wise, they became fools." The circumstances of 
the times were such as to prevent the people from detecting the 
deception. Thus they were deluded by an idolatry and a super- 
stition almost as gross as was the Pagan world ! And this de- 
ception continued until circumstances were changed by the in- 
vention of printing. So that by the multiplication and the dis- 
semination of the Scriptures, that " Holy order of the friends of 
God, and the lovers of the souls of men," could no longer im- 
pose their " vain imaginings" on the world. We owe nothing 
to that " sacred order," or any of them, for the present improved 
condition of the religious world. 

The "reformation" was but the overruling of the conflicting 
dements, naturally growing out of the diffusion of knowledge, 
produced by the art of printing. The clergy, so far from aiding 



TREATISE OJf CHRISTIANITY. 63 

the advancement of pure Christianity, retarded it, by assuming 
to be its interpreters, and mixing its Heavenly lessons and their 
beautiful simplicity, with scholastic metaphysics. Thus, effec- 
tually, as far as the circumstances admitted, they nullified the 
diffusion of the Holy Scriptures ; for the people were still taught 
to depend on a "learned Clergy,''' as " divinely authorized" to 
expound them, and to administer the ordinances of Religion, to 
render them available and valid ! This we will show in its pro- 
per place. 



PART THE SECOND. 

The Advent of the Son of God, or " Messiah," and the Evidences on which He 
Predicated the Di\iaity of His Mission to the World, and on which He chal- 
lenges the Faith of Mankind. 

Four thousand years had rolled around, since the morning 
stars sang together at the creation of this globe, and countless 
millions of human beings had finished the journey of life, 
and entered their eternal state, for weal or woe ! Heathen 
altars continued to smoke with the costly sacrifices of innu- 
merable victims to a thousand imaginary gods ! Philosophers 
were growing weary of their unsatisfactory and vain theo- 
ries, and greatly desired some solid foundation on which 
to build their hopes of a happy immortality; and many had 
wisely concluded that a revelation from the Supreme Being 
alone, could afford such a foundation — one that could be 
infallibly relied on. Such a conclusion was founded upon 
centuries of diligent but vain research. Abraham and the 
Patriarchs had served their turn in the purpose of God. Moses 
too, who had been faithful in all God's house as a servant, was 
almost forgotten by those who professed to be his disciples ; 
having been supplanted by the Scribes, Pharisees, and others 
of like pretentions ! The Priesthood had become shamefully 
corrupted, and their duties performed sluggishly, and without 
reference to the object of their original design. God had foi- 

E 



66 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

saken the Temple, and no longer shined forth as in former days 
from between the wings of the cherubims. His house was no 
longer a " house of prayers for all nations," but a den of thieves, 
and a house of merchandise ! Prophet after Prophet had been 
sent to call the Jews back to their covenanted engagements, and 
to warn them of the certain consequences that must inevitably 
ensue if they did not repent ; the most faithful of which, they, 
in their wantonness, had killed, and sent them to eternity as 
swift witnesses of their determined rebellion ! The freshness 
of youth, the vigor of manhood and of usefulness, had departed 
from the institutions of Moses. All were waxing old, and ready 
to vanish away ! The sceptre was on the eve of departing from 
Judah. Judea was already a Roman colony ; but, as yet, 
governed in part by her own laws. The carcase was almost 
ready for the eagles to devour utterly; and they, too, were 
hovering over their devoted victim, impatient for their prey \ — 
The cloud of God's displeasure had long wore a lowering aspect, 
and the hearts of the reflecting began to fail thera, in looking 
after those things that were coming to pass ! A restless and 
undefined feeling of apprehension, filled the hearts of the whole 
nation, and which they vainly endeavored to quiet by an out- 
ward and superstitious observance of the interpretations given 
of the laws of Moses by their learned Rabbins, and the tradi- 
tions of the Elders. In this sad condition of this once highly 
favored people of God, who had been exalted to Heaven, but 
were now on the eve of being cast down to hell, there were yet 
remaining a few faithful disciples of Moses, the servant of God. 
These adhered to the true principles of his institutions, and 
were patiently waiting for the " salvation of Isreal," through 
the promised Messiah ; and with ihem " was the secret of the 
Lord." The whole world reposed in the lap of profound pecce, 
under the reign of Augustus Caesar, the Roman emperor. — 
Judeaism, excessively corrupted ; idolatrous superstition, philo- 
sophical uncertainty and atheism, covered the earth with gross 
darkness ! 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 67 

But this calm forboded a conflict that should endure without 
ceasing, so long as the earth endured. A contest of light and 
darkness— of truth and error — the ultimate purpose of Jehovah 
— the last, the greatest effort of almighty God, to bring back 
His wanderers to their allegiance, and to recover His "banished 
ones,' 5 was fast ripening. "A virgin had brought forth a son, 
whose name was to be called Wonderful, Councilor, Prince of 
Peace, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, on whose 
shoulders the moral government of the world was to rest." God 
had shaken all nations, and consolidated them in one mighty em- 
pire, under a pacific prince. " And the desire of all nations had 
come ;" and His long forsaken temple was once more to be 
filled wiih glory — -a glory far exceeding that of the former 
house. "The quiet shepherds of Judea, as usual, were guard- 
ing their flocks, and in the dead silence of the midnight hour, 
an unearthly light suddenly broke the gloom of darkness, and 
they were greatly alarmed. And lo ! an angel of the Lord, a 
messenger from Heaver, stood before them and said, ' fear not, 
for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be 
to all people ; for unto you is born this day, in the city of David, 
a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign 
unto you, ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, 
lying in a manger.' And suddenly there was with the angel a 
multitude of the Heavenly host, praising God, and saying, 'glory 
to God in the highest, and on earth peace and good will toward 
men.' " 

Judea was now about to become a scene for the whole world to 
gaze on with astonishment. Scenes were to be enacted there 
that should convulse the world, and be remembered whilst time 
endured. The son of God had entered the world in the form of 
humanity. Herod, the king, heard the report, and trembled 
with apprehension of disaster to himself. Wise men are at- 
tracted thither from distant countries, and pay homage to "God 
manifested in the flesh." "He who being in *he form of God, 
and though! it not robbery to be equal with Go J, but made him- 



6% 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 



self of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a senrant, 
and was made in the likeness of men." Eight days after his 
birth he is brought into the temple to receive the rite of cir- 
cumcission; which bound him in obedience to the law of Moses. 
" For He was made under the law, that he might redeem them 
that were under the law." Here again an unusual scene trans- 
pires ; for there was an aged disciple of Moses, a devout mas 
and just, he had been long waiting for the " consolation of 
Isreal," and God had rewarded his devotion to the teachings of 
His servant Moses, by revealing to him that he should not die 
until he should see the "Lord's anointed." And he took the 
child in his arms, and blessed God, and said " now letest Thou 
thy servant depart in peace, according to Thy word, for mine 
eyes hath seen Thy salvation, which Thou hast prepared before 
all the people; a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of 
thy people, Xsreal." "And Anna, also, an aged female, whose 
whole life had been devoted to God, coming in at the same in- 
stant, gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of Hioa to 
all that waited for the redemption of Israel." 

At twelve years of age this wonderful being is again found 
in the temple, disputing with, and confounding the learned doe- 
tors of the law. — 

Thirty years had passed away. Sirrnon and Anna had gone 
from the earth to their reward in Heaven. Herod and Augus- 
tus, also, had gone to their eternal reward, whether for weal or 
woe ; and the most of that generation had disappeared from 
among men. Tibersus Caosar occupied the throne of universal 
empire, and Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, Annas 
and Caiaphas being high priests. Suddenly the Jewish nation 
were again aroused from their lethargy. A voice was heard 
proclaiming, " prepare ye the way of the Lord, make His paths 
straight ; every valley shall be filled, and every mountain nnd 
hill shall be brought low ; and the crooked shall be made 
straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth, and all flesh 
fha ] ! see the salvation of God!" The whole nation was excited. 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 69 

The aged people reflected on scenes of thirty years past, which 
had nearly been forgotten in the tumult of the busy world. — 
But God's purposes, unheeded by busy mortals, were progres- 
sing. In the small village of Nazareth, working at the trade of 
a carpenter, resided one in obscurity, who was destined to revo- 
lutionize the moral world, and whose name should fill the earth 
from the rising to the setting sun, and which never would cease 
to thrill in the hearts of men through all future time, till the 
moon should wax and wane no more ! The whole attention of 
the nation was centred on John; and they mused in their hearts 
whether he was the Messiah or not. John told them that so far 
was he from being the Christ, that he was not worthy to stoop 
down to unloose His shoes. 

Among the vast multitudes that flocked to John's baptism, 
one was preeminently signalized, for on coming out of the water, 
behold, the Heavens opened, and the Spirit, like a dove, de- 
cended upon Him ; and there came a voice from Heaven say- 
ing, " Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." 
John knew Him not, but the same that sent him to baptise with 
water, the same said unto him, " on whomsoever thou shalt 
aee the Spirit descending and remaining on him, the same is he 
which baptiseth with the Holy Ghost." "And I saw, and bear 
record," said John, " that this is the c Son of God.' " 

From that time Christ opened His mission, and the contest 
commenced, which will never terminate whilst the earth itself 
exists. He commences the mighty conflict between light and 
darkness, truth and error, by raising the standard of the king- 
dom of God, which is truth and righteousness, and proclaimed 
perpetual hostility against every thing in whatever shape it 
might present itself, opposed to these fundamental principles of 
the throne of God. To all lovers of truth, to all seekers after 
the knowledge of the true God, whether Jew or Gentile, His 
language is : "I am the light of the world ; if any man will fol- 
low me, he shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light 
of life." The Son of God, as the appointed and sole adminis- 



/U TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

trator of His moral government, places all mankind in a bellig- 
erent attitude in this contest. No neutrals are recognized by 
Him. Every descendant of Adam is looked upon as for or 
against him ; for, said he, "whosoever is not for me, is against 
me, and whosoever gathereth not, scattereth abroad." 

Wisdom and prudence suggests the question : Did Jesus oi 
Nazareth sustain the character which he assumed ? — May "we 
safely confide in his teachings ? — Will God without fail, con- 
firm all his promises and threatenings ? — These are questions of 
absorbing interest to human intelligences. God himself, said, 
" he that believeth shall not make haste ;" and, again, " many 
spirits have gone out in the world and deceived many, there- 
fore try them, whether they be of God." Among so many who 
professed to teach the true knowledge of God, the difficulty was 
to discriminate between the true and the false teacher. Now, 
if God has furnished the world with no rule by which to deter- 
mine this distinction, then all men are yet in the dark, and are 
as liable as ever to stumble and fall into every ditch ! But He 
has given the world an infallible rule of judgment, and it is a 
three fold rule, and mark it well. The particulars that compose 
this rule are : purity of life, perfect disinterestedness, and mira- 
cles. All these must meet in the person of any and every mes- 
senger from God ; and no man is authorized to receive any who 
may lack any one of them. In doing so they peril their salva- 
tion, and the consequences will rest with themselves, and not 
with God. Abraham, Moses and the Prophets, all gave these 
infallible proofs. John the Baptist, was a subject of prophecy, 
and was born under miraculous circumstances. The purity of 
his life, and his perfect disinterestedness cannot be questioned, 
Christ himself, and last of all, his thirteen Apostles; in all, 
these three infallible proofs met, and to all of these proofs Christ 
appealed as infallible evidences of the divinity of His mission ; 
and on them alone, he claimed the belief of those that heard 
Him. To His persecutors and detractors he said, " which of 
you convinceth me of sin ?" To the high Priest He said, " if I 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 71 

hare spoken evil, bear witness of the evil; but if well, why 
smitest thou me ? M " He was without sin, neither was guile 
found in his mouth." " I seek not mine own glory," said He, 
K but the glory of Him that sent me." " The foxes have holes, 
and the birds of the air have nes;s, but the son of man hath not 
whereto lay his head." His whole life, from his birth to the 
cross, was intended to heap contempt upon all that this world 
deems honorable and worth striving for. He chose to enter the 
world under the auspices of poverty. Born in a manger, of 
poor parentage, associated with the poor and the dispised of 
men; Himself " a mnn of sorrows, and acquainted with grief." 
Such benevolence, such sympathies with human sufferings, such 
condescending humility, and such contempt for the honors, the 
pleasures, and the wealth of the world ; and such wisdom of 
speech, self-possession, and uniform dignity of demeanor, was 
never witnessed among mortals. "The people wondered at the 
gracious words that proceeded out of his mouth." "He spake as 
one having authority, and not as did the Scribes and Pharisees." 
He spoke of the Almighty God, as one brought up with Him, 
with the utmost familiarity, and yet with the profoundest rever- 
ence. He discoursed of immortality, of Heaven and hell, of 
the general judgment, and the final issue of all things, with as 
much assurrance and ease, as a man would of the occurrences 
of his own family and fire-side! His works were such as de- 
monstrated that all nature was under his control, and bowed 
submissively to his will ! The fell diseases which afflict man- 
kind, fled at his touch ! The dead revive at the sound of his 
voice! Even the corruption of the grave becomes animated 
with renewed life and energy, at his bidding ! John, whilst in 
prison, sent a deputation of his disciples to enquire of Him, his 
true character and pretentions. He replied, " Go, and shew 
John again, those things which ye see and hear. The blind re- 
ceive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf 
hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel 
preached unto them." 



Tf 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY . 



The fame of the mighty deeds of this newly risen teacher, 
filled Judea and the neighboring countries with astonishment 
and awe. Opinions were various; "some said that John the 
Baptist, had risen from the dead ; some Elias, some Jeremias, 
or some one of the old Prophets." " Others again, said when 
Messiah cometh, will He do greater works than this man doeth?" 
On one occasion, when he was walking in that part of the tem- 
ple called Soloman's porch, the people surrounded him and 
said, " how long dost Thou make us to doubt ? If Thou be the 
Christ tell us plainly." And He said, "I told you, and ye be- 
lieved not ; the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear 
witness of me. I and my Father are one." For this avowal, 
the Scribes, Pharisees and Priests, laid a charge of blasphemy 
against Christ; and these characters, as the self-constituted 
;c guardians cf the honor of God" pursued him with a malice 
that could only be quenched in His blood. Jesus refuted this 
charge on the instant thus : " Is it not written in your law, * I 
said that ye are gods ?' " " If he called them gods to whom 
the word of God came, (and the scriptures cannot be broken,) 
say ye of him whom the Father hath sanctified and sent into the 
world, thou blasphemist, because I said I am the Son of God ? 
If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not ; but if I do, 
though ye believe me not, believe the works, that ye may be- 
lieve that the Father is in me, and I in the Father." Jesus as- 
serts in His reply to his accusers, that so far from being liable 
to the charge of blasphemy, for calling himself the Son of God, 
He would not have been guilty of that crime, if he had called 
himself a God; for their own law, by which they professed to be 
governed, and for the violation of which they accused him ; and 
for the honor of which, they pretended so much regard and vene- 
ration, does itself call those Gods, who execute the penalties of 
the law — that is, their judges were called in their scriptures, 
Gods, because they were, as the executors of God's law, his 
representatives, acting under God's direction; and so, Moses was 
% "God to Pharoah." "If, therefore, I, by my works, demonstrate 



TREATISE ON CHBISTIANITY. 73 

to you the divinity of ray mission, as the representative of God, 
am I not equally entitled to be called God? Yet, I have only said 
that I am the Son of God. Where, then, is the blasphemy in 
me more than in them ? Moreover, I do not ask or wish you to 
believe my word alone ; for, if my works do not justify my pre- 
tentions, then you do right, not to believe me, and I am truly 
guilty of blasphemy, for pretending to act in God's name, and 
by His authority, when I can prove no such authority by com- 
petent evidence. But if I do thus establish my claim as a repre- 
sentative of God, though your hatred against me prevents you 
from treating me with the deference due my official character; 
nevertheless, my works, which I do in my Faiher's name, and 
by his authority, will testify against you." This is the argument 
contained in his reply. The Almighty God will justify no man 
for receiving another, as sent or authorized by him, in any way, 
unless they can produce credentials properly authenticated by 
the " King, eternal, immortal, and invisible — the only wise 
God." 

Reader, let this truth sink deep into thine heart, and it will 
save you from fatal delusions! The immortal soul of man, is, 
to himself, of more value than all the world beside ; and he who 
best knew its value, has interposed to save it from the numer- 
ous deceptions to which it is liable, from the cunning craft of 
Satin, interested men, and the promptings of their own hearts. 
This he has done, by revealing from Heaven, the truth, the 
whole truth, and nothing but the truth ; and he hath sealed it 
with his own infallibility ; and with the blood of his only begot- 
ten son. " This is the new covenant in his blood." All others 
are revoked and made void, so that "God, who, at sundry times 
and in diverse manners, spake in times past to the fathers by 
the Prophets, hath in these last days, spoken unto us by his 
son, whom he hath appointed heirs of all things." 

The following discourse of Jesus, contains a full and expli- 
cit avowal of himself. He had healed a man that had been 
diseased thirty-eight years, and it was the Sabbath day, and 



/4 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

they accused him of breaking the Sabbath. He thus defended 
himself: "My Father worketh hitherto, and I work;" there- 
fore, they sought the more to kill him, because he had not 
only broken the Sabbath, but said also that God was his father, 
making himself equal with God. Then answered Jesus, and 
said unto them, " Verily, verily, I say unto you, the Son can 
do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do ; for 
what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son like- 
wise. For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all 
things that himself doeth. And he will show him greater 
works than these, that ye may marvel ; for, as the Father raises 
up the dead, and quickeneth them, even so the Son quickeneth 
whom he will ; for the Father judgeth no man, but hath com- 
mitted all judgment to the Son, that all men should honor the 
Son, even as they honor Father. He that honor eth not the Son 
honoreth not the Father which hath sent him. Verily, verily, I 
say unto you, he that heareth my words, and believeth on Him 
that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into con- 
demnation, but is passed from death to life. Verily, verily, I 
say unto you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead 
shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and they that hear shall 
live ; for, as the Father hath life in himself, so hath he given to 
the Son to have life in himself, and hath given authority to him 
to execute judgment also, because he is the son of man. Mar- 
vel not at this, for the hour is coming, in which all that are in 
the graves shall hear His voice, and shall come forth, they that 
have done good unto the resurrection of life, and they that have 
done evil unto the resurrection of damnation. I can of my own 
self do nothing, as I hear I judge, and my judgment is just, 
because I seek not my own will, but the will of the Father which 
sent me. John bear witness of me. He was a burning and 
shining light, and ye were willing for a season to rejoice in his 
light. But I have greater witness than that of John; for the 
works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works 
that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me.— 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. tO 

Search your scriptures, for in them ye think ye have eternal 
life, and they also testify of me ; for, had you believed Moses, 
ye would have believed me, for he wrote of me ; but if you be- 
lieve not his writings, how shall you believe my w r ords ?" 

These are the imposing claims assumed by him who pro- 
claims himself "the light of the world!" The purity of his 
life, and the disinterestedness of his motives, as evidenced by 
a life of pure benevolence in ministering to the wants of men, 
and by his poverty and disdaining all the honors and emol- 
uments of the world. Also, by the writings of Moses, the 
Prophets; the testimony of Abraham, of John the Baptist, and 
of the almighty God himself; in that he had given him power 
over all things, and which authority he exercised at his own dis- 
cretion. Much of which they had witnessed, and many more 
and greater evidences they should witness at the proper time, as 
the duties of his mission demanded; the most prominent of 
which, was his resurrection from the dead, his ascension up to 
Heaven, and the effusion of the Holy Ghost on the day of Pen- 
ticost : all of which he had promised before his crucifixion. — 
His pretentions were, therefore, amply sustained during his life, 
and fully confirmed in his death, and demonstrated by his 
resurrection. — 

Here, then, in the person of Jesus Christ, is supplied all that 
for which philosophers searched in vain. The nature, the at- 
tributes, the moral government, and the disposition of the Su- 
preme Being toward mankind, are plainly, fully, and clearly pre- 
sented ; and also, the immortality of the soul is taught and 
demonstrated to be true, by his personal resurrection and ascen- 
sion. He confirmed all that Abraham and Moses taught, and 
contradicted nothing. They were links in the same chain of 
God's interpositions for the benefit of the world, and His mis- 
sion was the last link in that chain, and superceded all that went 
before. Moreover, his mission, prospectively, was the founda- 
tion of all that preceded him, and all referred to him as their frui- 
tion and end. The interposition of the Son of God, is the be- 



75 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY". 

ginning and the consumation of all God's manifestations (o the 
world — the alpha and omega. 

The Apostle thus speaks of him : " God, who, at sundry 
times, and in diverse manners, spake in times past by the Pro- 
phets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom 
he hath appointed heir of all things, and by whom, also, he 
made the worlds, who being the brightness of his glory, and the 
express image of his person, and upholding all things by the 
word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat 
down on the right hand of the majesty on high." Here then 
is a solid foundation for a sure faith and a good hope. It is 
manifestly evident from what Christ said of himself, and, also, 
by what is said of him by the Aposile and Prophets, that ever 
since the first transgression, when justice and truth were com- 
pelled to pass sentence of condemnation on rebillion, and the 
banishment of Adam from Paridise followed as a consequence, 
that human intelligences occupy an entirely different relation to 
the Creator, to w T hat they did prior to that event, or Adam's 
transgression. The precise position which they now sustain, is 
equally manifest, viz : " In Adam all died ;" — that is, the con- 
demnation incurred by Adam, involved his whole posterity. — 
This is a plain fact of revelation. Of the justice of the thing, 
no believer of revelation will question ; for, with God there is 
no unrighteousness. But admitting that it had not been so, and 
that it had been a personal affair with Adam, and he only had 
endured the penalty, but permitted to live out the time allotted 
him on earth, without hope, and the black cloud of his creator's 
displeasure hanging over his devoted head, and in that condi- 
tion to propagate his species. Would this have made things 
any better ? Admitting, also, that every individual born into the 
world through all time, were as pure as was Adam, the moment 
that God breathed into him the breath of life, and he became a 
living soul, yet they would have been as liable to transgress at 
anytime as was Adam ; yea, and much more so, for they would 
have been encompassed about with bad example, and every 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 77 

transgressor must have been cast off without hope of recovery ! 
And being created with an immortal principle, they must have 
continued aliens from God through all eternity ! But the only 
begotten Son of God, " who was in the beginning with God," 
assumed the responsibility of the first Adam, and became the 
beginning and head of a new creation, which was placed under 
a new law. Under the first law it was death spiritual for one 
transgression, but under the new law mercy is extended after 
many trangressions, on condition of repentance and acceptance 
of Christ as their atonement, lawgiver and mediator ; or, in the 
language of the Apostle, " as their wisdom, righteousness, 
eanctification and redemption." He, by his death, paid the 
penalty of (he first law, and thereby cancelled it. "Being made 
a curse for us." •' Christ died, thejust for the unjust, that he 
might bring us to God." It was of this fact that Isaiah spake 
these words, seven hundred years before the advent of Christ : 
** For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a 
root out of a dry ground. He hath no form nor comliness, and 
when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should de- 
sire him. He is despised and rejected of men, a man of sor- 
rows and acquainted with grief; and we hid, as it were, our 
faces from him. He was dispised, and we esteemed him not. 
Surely he haih borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows; yet we 
did esteem him stricken — smitten of God, and ajflicted. But he 
was wounded for our transgressions ; he was bruised for our ini- 
quities. The chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with 
his stripes we are healed. All we, like sheep, have gone astray, 
we have turned every one to his own way ; and the Lord hath 
laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and 
afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth ; he is brought as a lamb 
to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers, is dumb, so 
he opened not his mouth. He was taken from prison and from 
judgment; and who shall declare his generation ? For he was 
cut off out of the land of the living ;for the transgression of my 
people was he stricken. And he made his grave with the wick- 



78 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

ed and with the rich in his death, because he had done no vio- 
lence ; neither was any deceit in his mouth, yet it pleased the 
Lord to bruise him ; he hath put him to grief; when thou shalt 
make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall 
prolong his days, arid the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in 
his hand ; he shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be 
satisfied ; by Ms knowledge shall my righteous servant justify 
m(ny,for he shall bear their iniquities ; therefore will I divide 
him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with 
the strong, because he hath poured out his soul unto death ; and 
he was numbered with the transgressors, and he bear the sin of 
many, and made intercession for the transgressors." Compare 
this with the history of Jesus of Nazareth, and every particular 
of the description given by the Prophet, centres in his person. 
The following is the account given by the historian, of the last 
scenes of the eventful and suffering life of that extraordinary 
being. After eating the Jewish Passover with his twelve dis- 
ciples, whom he designed as his Apostles and Ambassadors, to 
propagate his lessons to all the world, and therefore, had kept 
them from the first about his person, that they might be ear and 
eye witnesses of all he said and did : " And when the hour was 
come he sat down, and the twelve Apostles with him. And he 
said unto them with desire, ( I have desired to eat this Passover 
with you before I suffer, for I say unto you I will not eat any 
more thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God.' And 
he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, < take this and di- 
vide it among yourselves, for I say unto you that I will not 
drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God shall 
come.' And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and 
gave it unto them, saying, ' this is my bocy, which is given for 
you ; this do in rememberance of me.' Likewise, also, the cup 
after supper, saying, c this cup is the New Testament in r, y 
blood, which is shed for you ;' ' ye are they that have continued 
with me in my temptations, and I appoint unto you a kingdom, 
as my Father has appointed unto me, that ye may eat and drink 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 79 

at my table, in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the 
twelve tribes of Isreal ;' 'for I say unto you, that this that is 
written, must yet be accomplished in me, and he was reckoned 
among the transgressors ; for the things concerning me have an 
end.' And he came out, and went as he was wont, to the Mount 
of Olives, and his disciples also followed him. And when he 
was at the place, he said unto them, c pray that ye enter not into 
temptation.' And he was withdrawn from them about a stone's 
cast, and kneeled down and prayed, saying, ' Father, if thou 
be willing, remove this cup from me ; nevertheless, not my will, 
but thine be done.' And there appeared an angel from Heaven, 
strengthening him ; and he being in an agony, prayed more 
earnestly, and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood 
falling down to the ground." 

The full time having now come, the malice of the Priests and 
the rulers of the Jews, with the Scribes and Pharisees, were no 
longer restrained. They apprehended him, but not possessing 
authority to inflict death, they carried him to Pilate, the Roman 
governor of Judea. Then Pilate entered into the judgment hall 
and called Jesus, and said unto him, " art thou the king of the 
Jews?" And Jesus answered him, " sayest thou this of thy 
self, or did others tell it thee of me ?" Pilate answered, " am I 
a Jew? Thine own nation and the chief Priests have delivered 
thee unto me. What hast ihou done?" Jesus answered, "my 
kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this 
world, then would my servants fight, that 1 should not be de- 
livered to the Jews ; but now is not my kingdom from hence." 
Pilate, therefore, said unto him, "art thou a kii ^ then?" — 
Jesus answered, " thou snyest that I am a king. To this end 
was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I 
should bear witness to the truth. Every one who is < .'. the truth 
heareth my voice." Being finally condemned to the death of 
the cross, and being nailed thereto; Jesus knowing that all 
things were now accomplished, that the scriptures might be ful- 
filled, said, " I thirst. 1 ' Now, there was set there a vessel 



80 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

filled with vinegar, and they filled a sponge with venegar, and 
put it upon hyssop, and put it to his mouth. When Jesus there- 
fore, had received the vinegar, he said, " It is finished" and 
he bowed his head, and gave up his spirit !" 

" The ransom" is paid. All that for which the ceremonial 
law and the Priesthood was instituted, is accomplished, and are 
now forever abolished, and a new and a living way is conse- 
crated through the once offering of the body of Christ. In view 
of this Paul said: " Seeing then that we have a great high 
Priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, 
let us hold fast our profession, for we have not an high Priest 
which cannot be touched with the feelings of our infirmities; 
but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin." 
It was thus that Clirist accomplished that which Adam should 
have done, and by a perfect obedience to the lain of works, or to 
the law which said " do this and thou shalt live, but in the day 
that thou tran^gresseth, thou shalt surely die," rescued our 
fallen race from perpetual banishment, and superceded the first 
Adam as the representative head of God's creation. And these 
words of the scriptures are accomplished; "Behold, I make all 
things new." Seeing, therefore, that all the burdensome cere- 
monies, and bloody sacrifices, and purifications by washiDgs of 
the body, and legal offerings, and the interventions of a worldly 
Priesthood, are removed out of the way. " Let us draw nigh 
with a true heart, in lull assurance of faith:" " let us come 
boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find 
grace to help in every time of need." We refer to Paul's Epis- 
tle to the Hebrews, for a full and plain account of the represen- 
tative nature of the Mosaic ritual and Priesthood, and their ac- 
complishment in the person of " the Son of God." 

The command now is to Jews and Gentitles, to abandon their 
sacrifices and their Priests, whether received through Moses, or 
by tradition ; and look unto Jesus as the " Iamb of God," slain 
in the purpose cf Jehovah from the foundation of the world. — 
But being now slain in fact, has made ample atonement for all 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 8l 

who will avail themselves of it. Now, Jew and Gentile, have 
one and the same Priest, who is passed into the Heavens by his 
own blood, and is set down on the right hand of the throne of 
the one and only true God. He is therefore the only me- 
dium of access to the Supreme Being, for either Jew, Gentile, 
Greek or Barbarian, bond or free — and the only sacrifice for sin, 
for any and for all the descendants of Adam. The Apostle 
thus speaks of this new covenant with man, granted in conse- 
quence of the interposition of "His only begotten Son: 55 — 
" Therefore, by the deeds of the law, there shall no flesh be 
justified in God's sight; for by the law, is the knowledge of 
sin." Evidently implying that no man ever had been, or ever 
could be, justified by the law of works, since the first transgres- 
sion. And why? Because Adam by transgression had become 
a rebel against his Creator, and an alien from God ! And from 
this condition of banishment the law could not restore him; "for 
by the law was the knowledge of sin," and not the remedy.- — 
The law only served to remind the transgressor of his guilt, and 
to cover him with shame and confusion. Seeing then the utter 
impossibility of the transgressor of the law being justified in the 
sight of God, under the "-old covenant" of perfect obedience — 
for all had sinned! What was to be done? The "Son of God" 
takes Adam's original position, as head of God's creation, pays 
the penalty of Adam's first transgression, and cancels the first 
covenant. A new covenant is entered into, adapted to man's 
fallen condition, of which the Son of God, instead of Adam, is 
the head, and representative of all mankind, as w T as Adam. "The 
first Adam was of the earth ; the second Adam is the Lord from 
Heaven. The first was made a living soul, the second was 
made a quickening spirit." The Apostle here makes a distinc- 
tion between "soul" and "spirit," as he does elsewhere, when 
he said : " That ye may be sanctified throughout, soul, body 
and spirit." Here is the fact of a distinction clearly revealed ; 
of the nature of that distinction we will say nothing ; because, 
all that can be said is nothing more than vain philosophy, for 

F 



82 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

God who only can know, has not been pleased to reveal it, and 
philsophical theology has already destroyed Christianity ! The 
meaning of the Apostle is sufficiently evident without such 
knowledge, viz : That there was in the " Son of God" a life- 
imparting principle, which did not exist in Adam ; and that this 
principle of life was to be exerted by him in the process of man's 
restoration to life eternal. This is confirmed by what the Apos- 
tles said to the Romans, viz : " If Christ be in you, the body is 
dead because of sin ; but the spirit is life because of righteous- 
ness. But if the spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the 
dead, dwell in you, He that raised up Christ from the dead, 
shall also quicken your mortal bodies." Thus we see why the 
second Adam was made a quickening spirit. For a detailed 
account of the process of a man's transition from under the 
covenant of works into the new covenant, we refer the reader to 
Paul's letter to the Romans — 7th and 8th chapters. This latter 
covenant has very appropriately been called the " covenant of 
grace ;" for it is founded on the principle of mercy to man 
through the interposition of the Son of God. 



DISCIPLESHIP, OR OBEDIENCE TO CHRIST THE 
ONLY WAY OF SALVATION. 

What must we do to be saved ? This is truly a question of 

the utmost importance to every human and immortal spirit ! 

But to whom shall we go for an infallible solution of it ? None 

but tfoe Son of God can so answer, as to preclude all doubts. 

To Him, therefore, and to His authorized Apostles we must ap- 
ply, or forever remain in the dark mists of speculation ! 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 83 

Their united reply to all who may propose the question is this : 
u Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved." 
This faith implies not only the reception of Christ as our sacrifi- 
cial atonement, but, also, as our law-giver. Jesus said, " I am 
the light of the world ; if any man follow me he shall not walk 
in darkness, (ignorance,) but shall have the light of life." — 
Again, " take my yoke upon you and learn of me." 

We are not, therefore, without law to God, by accepting of 
Christ as an atonement for sins committed under the old cove- 
nant of works, and which held us in bondage to the penalty of 
that law, which was banishment from God, and consequently 
an immortality of woe ! But we are now under law to Christ 
— the Son of God, as head of the " new creation," and the 
representative of all who trust in Him, hath redeemed them from 
the curse or penalty of that violated law, having been made a 
curse, or endured the penalty for them who have fled to him for 
refuge, as the only hope set before them for escape from the en- 
durance of the penalty in their own persons. But this new re- 
lation by no means exempts disciples or believers from law ; 
ihey are, therefore, still under law to God ; and the Son of God 
is now their law-giver, in the room of Moses. He (Moses) as 
a servant in GooVs house, gives over his authority to Christ, the 
Son of God, who is heir and Lord over all things to his church, 
which is the " house of God." 

Wherefore as a woman is bound by the marriage contract to 
the law of her husband whilst he liveth, even so the Jews were 
bound by the law of Moses whilst it was in being; but Christ 
having made an end of the law of sacrifices, by a better and 
more perfect offering of His own body, once for all, and brought 
in everlasting righteousness. That law being now dead, all be- 
lievers are freed from its obligations, and are married to another, 
even to nim whom God raised from the dead. Believers in 
Christ, therefore, are placed under a new law, to another hus- 
band, that they may bring forth fruit unto God. They are 
bound C( to obey {hat form of docirine which was delivered u:ito 



84 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

them." This obedience to Christ is the " power of God unte 
salvation, to every one that believeth ; to the Jew first, and also 
to the Gentile." " This is the bread which came down from 
Heaven, of which, if a man eat, he shall never die." 

This " light of life" is, absolutely, in the Holy Scriptures, 
made to depend on implicit obedience to the words spoken by 
the Son of God personally, and through His legally authorized 
Ambassadors, the Apostles. It is their words, received as the 
veritable words of God, and obeyed from the heart, that quick- 
ens and regenerates the soul of man ; and they are grossly de- 
ceived who depend on any thing beside. The merits of Christ 
meets us only where our utmost ability fails. This position is 
sustained by the sacrifices under the law, which typifieded that 
o£ Christ. They, as we have before said, when speaking of the 
Mosaic economy, did not commute for moral duties, or super- 
sede good works ; these were rigidly enjoined, and all violaters 
of the law of righteousness between man and man, were com- 
pelled to pay the penalty annexed. By transgressing against 
these righteous laws, they not only injured their neighbors, but 
they also manifested a want of reverence for the majesty of the 
law-giver, and committed an act of rebellion against God. — 
Jfter paying the penalty to his neighbors, and not before, he 
was called upon to offer a sacrifice as an atonement to God ; so 
that in no case did sacrifice supersede good works. Even so 
it is now ; we cannot atone for, or repay God for the violation 
of His laws, for this only Christ can do, and his atonement will 
not be imputed to, or avail a man any thing, until he has, so far 
as in him lies, made restitution to his fellow men for the wrong 
done them. 

Repentance is the first act of obedience — the first fruit of faith 
in Christ. On this subject there exists a deep, wide spread, and 
destructive error, and that is this : Having felt a vague and un- 
defined sorrow for having sinned against God, and feeling a dread 
of His displeasure, we are told to believe on the Lord Jesus 
Christ as our atonement, and we shall be saved ! But no sub- 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 



85 



siantial fruits of repentance is seen or required! What! has the 
professed penitent " restored the pledge," or restored that which 
he has wrongfully withheld from his fellow man ? Has he dis- 
charged all just claims against him so far as lies in his powder ? 
Or does he, before God and man, promise so to do ? Other- 
wise he cannot enter the kingdom of Christ and of God. John 
said, when preparing the Jews for the kingdom of Heaven, 
11 bring forth fruits worthy of repentance." We do not pretend 
to say that any man can atone for violated law ; but we do say 
on the authority of God, that every man will be held personally 
responsible to the demands of moral honesty. And we further 
say, that such a repentance as does not compel a man to do so, 
will not prepare him for admission into the kingdom of God, 
and the atonement of Christ will avail him nothing. First, 
restitution to your neighbors, and then offer your sacrifice for an 
atonement to God, (not man,) for the violation of His law. — 
For all such true penitents, Christ ever liveth to make interces- 
sion, and to such only will God impute the righteousness of 
His Son, the second Adam. " Repent, for the kingdom of 
Heaven is at hand," said John ; " repent, for the kingdom of 
Heaven is at hand," reiterates Christ. u Believe (on the Lord 
Jesus Christ,) with a heart unto righteousness" said the Apos- 
tle ; that is, with a settled purpose of doing what is right, and 
this necessarily embraces restitution for our wrong doing, as far 
as practicable. 

One of the essential and abiding principles of the kingdom 
which Christ set up, is righteousness; and all men must purge 
themselves from all unrighteousness to the utmost of their abili- 
ty, by sincere repentance before they can enter it. When this 
is done, they may with confidence rely on the atonement made 
by Christ. And when they have entered that kingdom, they 
must continue to " purify their hearts by obeying the truth." — 
Every art, and every science, has its truths, and appropriate 
means of acquiring them. So has Christianity its own truths, 
and they are separate from all others, and so are the means of 



86 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

acquiring them ; and none but the Son of God is authorized to 
teach those truths by which men may " purify their hearts." — 
The Apostles were but the echo of His voice. 

Reader, this is a grave subject. Your eternal destiny de- 
pends on your obeying the truths of Christianity! Who, there- 
fore, will you select for a teacher ? Peter said, tC to whom shall 
we go ? Thou (Christ) only hast the words of eternal life !" — 
Do you believe this ? Then become the disciple of the Son of 
God. Enter His school — learn of Him — continue in His words 
— follow your teacher exclusively — turn neither to the right 
hand or to the left, and you shall be safely led to immortality 
and eternal life. Yea, any man may well glory in being the 
disciple — the pupil of the Son of God ! — 

We confidently affirm that no man can, legitimately, be a dis- 
ciple of Christ, unless he learns of Him exclusively. What said 
Jesus on this very subject? " If ye continue in myioords, then 
are ye my disciples indeed." Here, then, our position is decided 
by infallible authority ! What more is needed ? Furthermore, 
believers are, throughout the whole scriptures of truth, denomi- 
nated " disciples," or pupils of Christ. 

We affirm, with equal confidence, that God will hold every 
man to whom the Gospel may come, personally responsible for 
the teachings of Christ, and a spirit and practice corresponding. 
God said to Moses, "I will raise them up a Prophet from among 
their brethren, like unto thee, and toillput my words in his mouth, 
and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. And 
it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken to my 
words, which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him" 
This passage is, by Peter, in the Acts, applied to Christ ; and 
Jesus himself said : " The words which I speak, are not my 
words, but the words of him that sent me; for the Father gave 
me commandment, what I should say." And again : " I speak 
that which I have heard of my Father." God said of Christ : 
" This is my beloved Son, hear ye Him." Isaiah said : "Faith 
cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God ; but how 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 87 

shall they hear without a preacher ? And how shall he preach 
except he be sent?" The meaning of the Prophet is very plain; 
yet to serve a purpose, it has, like many others, been grossly 
misapplied. It is simply this : That no man can know the 
mind of God, unless God first reveals it to him ; and unless he, 
to whom it was revealed, proclaimed it, men could not hear and 
believe it ; and, consequently, there could be no true and saving 
faith. This sentiment harmonizes with the following of the 
Evangelist : " No man hath seen God at any time, the only 
begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father; He hath de- 
clared him," Paul said : " What man knoweth the things of 
a man, save the spirit of a man that is in him. Even so the 
things of God knoweth no man, but the spirit of God, and he to 
whom God will reveal it." John said : " For He whom God 
hath sent, speaketh the words of God ; what he hath seen and 
heard, that he testifieth." Behold what perfect harmony of 
mind is exhibited by these messengers of God. It is expressly 
declared by God, that he will hold every man personally account- 
able for his words, as spoken by that Prophet. Jesus said, as 
the publisher of God's word : " I am the light of the world, if 
any man will follow me, he shall not walk in darkness, but shall 
have the light of life." 

All these testimonies concur in declaring Christ to be the only 
and the exclusive revealer of the mind of God. This position 
most certainly will not be contradicted. These divine truths, 
which came from the bosom of God, where they had been kept 
secret from the foundation of the world, was for the first time 
made known by his Son. This son, by the will of God, select- 
ed thirteen men, whom he qualified in a super human manner, 
and committed to their trust " all the words of this life ;" with 
a command to publish them to all the world, as a witness to all 
nations. " Teach them," said Jesus, " to observe all things 
whatsoever I have commanded you, and lo, I am with you 
always, even to the end of the wcrld." And as God had sealed 
the divinity of the mission of his Son, by miracles and super- 



38 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

human acts, so, also, He sealed the mission of these Apostles of 
his Son, " by signs, wonders, diverse miracles, and gifts of the 
Holy Ghost." The mission of these men close forever the testi- 
mony of God ; all beside is of men, and woe to him who addeth 
to, or taketh from them. By the providence of God, the teach- 
ings of "that Prophet" has been handed down unimpaired to us 
of the 19th century : " And whosoever will not hear his words, 
as spoken by that Prophet, God will require it of him." It fol- 
lows that wherever this revealed mind of God is found, there is 
the Son of God, perpetuating his divine mission ; ready and 
willing to instruct all who will place themselves under his tui- 
tion. The language of Christ now is, as in the days of His 
personal mission, " Come unto me, all ye that are burdened and 
heavy ladened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon 
you, and learn of me."' The term yoke is used to denote labor, 
service and obedience ; hence, Peter calls the obligations the 
Jews were under to obey the laws of Moses, " a yoke, which 
they nor their fathers were able to bear." In contrast to these 
burdensome rituals of the Mosaic law, Christ said : " For my 
yoke is easy, and my burden light." Jesus here assumes pos- 
session, as lord of his own house ; in which house, Moses, as 
a servant, had been faithful. The servant having served his 
term, must yield to the superior claims of the Son ; " for Christ 
was counted worthy of more glory than Moses." From this 
consideration Paul concludes thus: "Therefore, we ought to give 
the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at 
any time we shall let them slip ; for, if the words spoken by an- 
gels were steadfast, and every transgression received a just re- 
compense of reward, how shall we escape if we neglect so 
great salvation, which first began to be spoken by the Lord him- 
self, and was confirmed to us by them that heard Him," &c. 

Now, we are prepared, frcm the clear testimony of God, to 
identify without mistake, the position of the true christian, and 
the legitimate disciple of Christ. It is plainly this : The Lord 
Jesus occupies, as the revealer of God's mind to the world, the 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITT. 89 

very same position that Moses did to the Isrealites. As Moses 
was the mediator through whom the old covenant of works was 
given to ancient Isreal, obedience to which constituted the whole 
duty of a Jew ; but as a Jew, he was bound to obey all the pre- 
cepts of Moses, and no more or less. Even so is Christ, the 
mediator through whom the new covenant of grace is given to 
the whole world. Obedience to which constitutes the whole 
duty of a Christian. But as a Christian, he is bound to obey 
all the precepts of Christ, and no more or less. Do this and 
live. 

As circumcission was the sealing of the contract between God 
and the Isrealites, God, on His part, promising guidance, pro- 
tection, and many other blessings, on condition of obedience on 
the part of the Jew ; and the Jew, by that act, bound himself to 
obey the precepts of God, as delivered by his servant Moses. — 
As Paul said: "I testify to you brethren, that whosoever among 
you are circumcised, ye are debtors to the whole law to do it." 
That is — by that act you voluntarily contract to obey the precepts 
of the law of Moses, as a rule of life; and, therefore, "Christ can 
profit you nothing." Even so is Baptism a sealing of the con- 
tract, between God and they that would be Christians. God, 
on His part, promising guidance and protection through this 
life, and eternal happiness in the life to come, on condition of 
obedience on the part of the baptized, to all the precepts as de- 
livered by His Son, Jesus Christ; and individuals by that act, 
obligate themselves to obey all those precepts, so delivered, as a 
rule of life ; for, said Paul, " As many of you as have been bap- 
tised into Christ, have put on Christ — that is, by voluntarily sub- 
mitting to baptism you have become the " disciples of Christ," 
and bound yourselves to obey His precepts, as the Jew was 
bound, by circumcission. Again, " As ye have therefore re- 
ceived Christ Jesus, the Lord, so walk in Him ;" and again, 
" Ye are hurried with Christ in baptism, wherein, also, ye are 
risen with Him, through the faith of the operation of God." — 
This figure is extremely striking, as illustrative of the obliga- 



90 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

tions of the baptised to Christ. As the dead man is burried 
under the earth, and rises only to behold the realities of eternity, 
and is lost to all the interest of this world; even so, they who are 
baptised into Christ, and become His disciples, then, as Chris- 
tians, they are to know no man after the flesh. All the learning 
of the world, from whatever source, or from whatever quarter, 
or under whatsoever pretence it may come, is foolishness to Him. 
He renounces all for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ 
Jesus, his Lord. He seeks to be rooted and grounded in Him. 
He derives all his wisdom and knowledge from Him, as a plant 
does food from its root, or as a branch does from its vine — " I 
am the vine, and ye are the branches," said Jesus — so entirely 
and solely does the Christian derive his daily food and nourish- 
ment from Christ. "Except the branch abide in the vine, it can- 
not bear fruit; neither can ye, except ye abide in me." Where- 
fore then, as the Jew was bound in obedience to the precepts of 
Moses, through circumeission, and made himself debtor to the 
whole law as a rule of life; by which only his knowledge of right 
and wrong, of sin and holiness, was to be determined, and his 
conscience regulated. So, also, the Christian is in like manner 
bound in obedience to the precepts of Christ by Baptism. By 
which precepts only, he is to judge of what is right or wrong, 
sin or holiness, and his conscience regulated. In a word, it was 
under the old covenant, the yoke of Moses, and now under the 
new covenant, the yoke of Christ. The latter supersedes the 
former. Circumeission bound the Jew in obedience to Moses, 
and baptism binds the believer in obedience to Christ. This 
is the Christian's true position. 

But said the Apostle, "he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, 
neither is that circumeission which is outward in the flesh ; but 
he is a Jew who is one inwardly, and that is circumeission, 
which is of the heart, whose praise is not of men, but of God." 
He also tells the Jews who boasted of their circumeission, and 
on that account claimed to be the people of God, " For thy cir- 
cumeission verily profiteth if thou keep the law ; but if thou be a 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 91 

breaker of the law, thy circumcission is made uncircumcission" 
So that all the advantages derived from circumcission, was to be 
obtained by fulfilling the contract entered into by that act, and 
that was, obedience to the law of Moses. When the Holy Ghost 
speaks of an upright Jew or disciple of Moses, it is done in this 
language : " Zacharias and Elizabeth were both righteous be- 
fore God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of 
the Lord, blameless." 

In like manner, neither is he a Christian who has assumed 
the name of disciple by baptism ; but he is a Christian whose 
heart is regenerated by obeying the truth, as taught by Jesus, and 
his baptism will avail him nothing, unless he fulfill the covenant 
or agreement, to which baptism bound him, which was implicit 
obedience to Christ, and a practical conformity to his precepts ; 
for said Christ : " Not every one that sayeth Lord, Lord, shall 
enter into the kingdom of heaven ; but he that doeth the will of 
my Father which is in heaven." Personal obedience, therefore, 
is absolutely essential to salvation — yea, as much so under the 
new covenant as under the old — under Christ, as under Moses. 

As this position of personal obedience is flatly denied by a 
large body calling themselves " Evangelical Christians," by 
way of pre-eminence ! We mean the disciples of Augustin, of 
the 4th century, and more recently by the disciples of Calvin. 
We will, therefore, establish it beyond cavil, if indeed the Holy 
Scriptures be considered better authority than Augustin, or the 
learned John Calvin ! To the " disciples of Christ," we can 
demonstrate it. This proof or demonstration, will only be a 
continuation ol what we have previously advanced, viz : That 
obedience to the precepts of Christ, is the only food that can 
nourish the soul, arid prepare it for an inheritance among the 
glorified in Heaven — obedience to the precepts of Jesus Christ, 
essential to salvation, and to His precepts only. This is the po- 
sition to be demonstrated by us. 

The Lord Jesus thus announces himself to the world : "I 
am the light of the world, if any man will follow me, he shall 



92 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." Here 
Christ proclaims himself as the only source of knowledge which 
can illumine the soul! Such as can be confided in as infallibly 
true. And this claim He supported by such an amount of testi- 
mony, as is sufficient to convince all whose only object is truth 
— and only such will be His disciples. This is what he meant 
by these words : " Every one who is of the truth heareth my 
words." But how are men to profit by this light ? By follow- 
ing Christ ; not as the Jews followed Moses, through the expo- 
sitions of the Scribes, Pharisees, and other Rabbins, for Christ 
reprobates such discipleship, as destructive of God's revealed 
laws. It is manifest then that he meant nothing of the kind. — 
But he did mean just what he said : " If any man will follow 
?ne" — will be my disciple — not to hear my words as construed 
by others ; but my words as spoken by myself — u such shall not 
walk in darkness" — shall not remain in ignorance of the things 
of God — of his duty toward God — of eternity, the things of 
eternity, and of the qualifications for its blissful enjoyment. — 
These are the grave subjects which he came to teach — not 
rhetorick, or logic, or vain philosophy ; for, all this men already 
understood, without the interference of God. But He eame to 
shed light on their darkness, and to teach that which the school? 
of the philosophers could not. All their wisdom on the subject 
of God and eternity, was only conjecture; but, if you will be- 
lieve the testimony that God has afforded you of my divinity, 
and vtiWfolloio my instructions exclusively, you shall have the 
" light of life." That knowledge which dissipates the thick 
darkness that shrouded the grave, and rendered the eternal des- 
tinies of the dead awfully uncertain — the knowledge that is more 
than conjecture, yea, which is infallibly certain — being vouched 
for by God, and by the works which I do, such as will disarm 
death, the king of terrors, of his sting, and open to all my fol- 
lowers the door of immortality and eternal life. But, let it be 
remembered and well considered, to whom all these blessings 
are promised, and on what conditions. You must follow Christ. 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 93 

He is the disciple's only sun, as ordained of God, to enlighten 
their darkness — their only star, to direct their every step to the 
Jerusalem which is above. Whither shall we go, but to ihe 
fountain of living water? The rock smitten by the justice of 
God, from whence flowed streams, not for the Jews only, but 
for the Gentiles also ; yea, a balm for all our woes, and a cor- 
dial tor every fear. But, said Jesus, again : u Verily, I say 
unto you, he that heareth my words, and believeth on Hiin that 
sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condem- 
nation ; but hath passed from death unto life." Of whom is 
this spoken? Of the disciples of Christ, believing in Gcd, 
whose messenger he is, and hearing his words as the words of 
God ; for, when so received they work in the believers migh:i!y 
and effectually, producing a new creation, and transforming the 
soul into the image of him who created it ! " The word of 
God is quick and powerful, sharper than a two-edged sword — 
a. discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart ;"" and 
this is that word which is preached unto you by the gospel." — 
" Some, who heard the word of God, were not profited by it." 
And why? If it be so powerful, how can it be heard without 
effect ? The Apostle gives as a reason, " that it was not mixed 
with faith in them that heard it." That is, many of the Jews 
nourished doubts, suggested from some quarter, whether Moses 
was authorised by God to bind these heavy burdens on them. 
The yoke galled their necks, and the burdens pressed them down. 
It must indeed have required strong confidence in every word 
and precept of Moses, as coming irom God, to give them suf- 
ficient power and force, as to insure obedience. But when we 
contemplate the history of Moses, as the leader and guide of 
that people, their deliverance from Egypt, the miraculous pillar 
of fire that directed their journeys and regulated all their move- 
ments, the passage through the sea. the smitten rock, and the 
terribly awful phenomena accompanying the giving of the law, 
we are at a loss to assign reasons for doubt ! We know that 
when doubts arose in the minds of some, respecting the selec- 



94 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

tionby Moses, of Aaron, his brother, for the honorable office of 
High Priest, to the exclusion of all others, God did confirm it, 
by a miracle that could not be disputed, and which remained 
deposited in the ark, as a standing proof for future generations. 
And we know, also, that after that there were no doubts on that 
subject. In this instance, we see the word of God sufficiently 
powerful to restrain all ambitious aspirings after that exalted 
station, throughout all future time ! And said Paul, " none 
taketh that office en him, but such as are called oi God, as was 
Aaron." Here is one demonstrative proof of fke restraining 
power of the word of God, when demonstrated to be His word; 
for without that demonstrative miraculous proof, the other tribes 
would have contended for the honor of serving in the temple as 
Priests and other officers; all of which by command of God, ap- 
pertained to the tribe of Levi only ; but this power of God's 
word, by being believed such, produced submission ! Paul, in 
his letter to the Hebrews, gives a long list of the evidences or 
proofs of the power of the word ot God, when believed and re- 
ceived as His veritable words. It is only when every word is 
relied upon, as the veritable words of God, and believed to be 
such, without room for doubt, that its power and efficacy is felt, 
that it worketh in the believers effectually, and regenerates the 
heart, and overcomes the world. This proves, beyond doubt, 
the necessity of learning of Christ only ; for He only " teacheth 
the way of God truely," "and He only hath the words of eternal 
life." " I am the living bread which came down from Heaven. 
If a man eat of this bread he shall live forever." — Whatever 
ambiguity may seem to be in these words, Christ removes it by 
this explanation : " The flesh profiteth nothing ; the words that 
I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life" Here the 
words as taught by Christ, is compared to that which is essential 
to the sustenance, and the very existance of the body ; for, un- 
der the term bread, the Jews comprehended all kinds of whole- 
some nourishment. If it be asked what begets spiritual life, 
we reply in the words of an Apostle, for whose words God has 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 95 

vouched : " Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of 
incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for- 
ever." It is obedience, not to any word however true; for, 
however true, yet if it admits of a doubt if not believed in very 
truth to be the words of God, their power is lost ; for, in pro- 
portion as a doubt exists the word looses its energy. It is said 
that " Noah, moved with fear, prepared an ark for the saving of 
himself and family." And what produced that fear? The 
word of God. That word came to him in such a form as to pre- 
clude all doubt of its being the veritable voice of Jehovah. And 
see its power. It induced him to labors assiduously, amidst 
the scoffs, ridicule, and persecution of his countrymen, for the 
long space of one hundred and twenty years ! This is another 
evidence of the saving and operating -power of the word of God, 
when no doubt exists of its being such. Noah proclaimed this 
word to his countrymen all that time, and no doubt he was able 
and did give them miraculous proof of the truth of what he pro- 
claimed ; if not, they had no right to believe him, and his word 
could have no power on rational minds. This conclusion is 
common sense, and supported by the testimony of God. Jesus 
said to the Jews : "HI had not done the works among you 
that no man ever did, ye had not sin ; but now ye have no cloak 
for your sin." This was plainly telling them that God did not 
desire them to receive any man as his servant or messenger, 
who could and did not produce miraculous proof of his mission. 
How else could the true servant of God be distinguished from 
the pretended one. A man's impression is no proof whatever. 
And again, all that we know assuredly to have been called of 
God, were enabled and did produce miraculous evidence of 
their mission. Perhaps thousands believed Noah, repented, 
lived righteous lives, were drowned, and went to Heaven ; But 
tens of thousands rejected the council of God, were drowned, 
and went to perdition, as was the case of the Jews in the days of 
Christ. It is the belief of the truth, therefore, that saves the 
•oul — infallible truth ; and nothing is such in religion but the 



95 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

very words of Christ, and they only can beget true spiritual life 
in the soul of man ; and no wise, no rational man, whose only 
object is to save his immortal spirit, will risk the great interests 
of endless duration, on any other authority whatever. It is, 
also, the word of God only, that sustains and perpetuates that 
life in man. Christ is the " bread of life, of which, if a man 
eats, he shall never die ;" and that bread is in the New Testa- 
ment, and no where beside. Of this primary truth in Christi- 
anity, Christ said : " Labor not for the meat which perisheth, 
but for the meat which endureth unto everlasting life." This 
most assuredly means, that men should labor to acquire the 
knowledge, and be more intent and assiduous in obeying the 
precepts of Christ, who is the bread of life, than for the acquire- 
ment of the good things of this world. The reason of this com- 
mand is founded on the vastly superior interests which men 
have at stake, in reference to eternity, and which nothing but 
the true knowledge of God and obedience to his precepts can 
secure; for " this is life eternal, to know thee the only true God, 
and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent." Now, all admit that 
none can impart this knowledge but Christ, and it is asserted 
that we must know him to obtain that knowledge, which only 
can lead to life eternal. This shows the absolute necessity thai 
all men are under, to discard all other teachers, and learn Chris- 
tianity from Him, "who, of God is made to us, wisdom, right- 
eousness, sanctification and redemption. We must, therefore, 
be His disciples — we must hear His voice, and not the voice of 
"itrangers and hirelings." From all such we must flee, for 
they scatter the sheep. There is safety in no other way. How 
forcibly this reminds us of the present deplorable condition of 
the professing world. Are the sheep not scattered from the 
" one fold and the one shepherd ?" These strangers have en- 
ticed the sheep away from the fold of Christ, and for hire, feed 
them in their own pastures, on fables ! — the doctrines and com- 
mandments of men, not vouched for by God. These doctrines, 
received from their fathers, have just enough of Christ in them 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 97 

to deceive — the hook is bated — the sheep of each fold carries 
the mark of their owner! and the consequence is, that they are 
either inflated with guilded poison, or are rendered poor with 
food too much adulterated to sustain life. 

This was the condition in which Christ found the Jewish 
zommunity. No two cases can be more parallel to each other. 
See the awful denunciations pronounced on these li strangers 
hireling teachers and shepherds," by the Lord Jesus. Will 
men not take warning, and learn wisdom from their example? 
Or will they continue to suffer themselves to be deceived by vain 
and plausible excuses, suggested by self-interest and worldly 
wisdom, and thus brook the indignation of Jehovah ? " Fcr the 
heart is deceitful above all things. Who can know it?" Christ 
came to correct the deceitful musings of the heart, and to fur- 
nish an unerring standard by which to judge ol our temper and 
conduct ; and that rule extends to the hidden thoughts of the 
heart. 0, wonderous knowledge, deep and high. Where can a 
creature hide? This is what men wanted, and which philoso- 
phy could not supply; and is it no crime against the majesty 
and the benevolence of God, for men to presume to meddle 
with that " gift of God," to render that only authorised and 
royal standard, uncertain, contradictory and doubtful? 

Will men persist in suffering the God of this world, through 
the medium of prejudice, selfishness and vain glory, to blind 
their eyes to the heinousness of such an high crime against the 
Sovereign of Heaven, and the eternal interests of men ? If it be 
a crime in the vender of drugs and medicines, and the trader in 
articles of food, to adulterate them, and thereby weaken the 
power and efficacy of the one, and render the other deliterous 
to the health of the body, who can estimate the crime of dilu- 
ting the prescriptions of the "Good Physician," and the bread 
which He brought down from Heaven, to heal the maladies ci 
•he soul, and give sight to the blind; and, also, to beget and 
perpetuate life and energy to overcome the world, the flesh, aud 
the dewk Is not all this done by the various and opposing sects 



9S TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

of the professing world ? And is it not a crime of the highest 
grade in them ? No mortal man has any authority to say what 
constitues a christian— what should be the extent of his belief 
—what amount of obedience he owes God, or how he should 
render that obedience — what entitles him to admission into 
Christ's church, or on what condition he should be retained 
there. All these are, by God, placed under the absolute and 
exclusive control of His son, Jesus Christy and woe to those, 
who, under any pretext whatever, usurp His authority. "It 
were better that a mill stone were hanged about his neck, and 
he cast into the depths of the sea" — yea, it were better he had 
not been born! All this would have been more preferable, than 
by any means to offend one of the least conscientuous disciples 
of the Lord Jesus ! Believest thou the Scriptures, O vain man: 
Then cease your dangerous and presumptuous meddling with the 
gospel of God's Son ; and by doing so, you will, in your per- 
sons, exhibit the power of the word of God to overcome your 
prejudices, your interests, and worldly honors. Jesus, in refer- 
ence to like deceptions which the Jews practised on themselves 
and their followers, in relation to Moses and his laws, said to 
those Jews that believed on Him: u Ifye continue in my words, 
then are ye my disciples indeed, and ye shall know the truth, and 
the truth shall make you free." The true import of this declara- 
tion of Christ, is this : These Jews who are boasting of being 
the disciples of Moses, and vainly flattering themselves that thev 
• re keeping his precepts, by adhering to the expositions of that 
law, given by the learned rabbins and doctors of the law, are 
through them deceived into that belief, and under this deception 
they are expecting to inherit the blessings annexed by Gcd to 
ohedimce to Moses ! But I tell you it will not be so ; they aje 
leaning on a broken reed that will not sustain their fond hcpeSj 
but will utterly fail them in the time of their greatest need, an . 
they shall be overwhelmed in calamities and number::; with 
transgressors ; <( for, if the blind le^d the blind, both shall fall 
; ::^> the drch." "I aril come, oi whom Mose*. ia the law, and 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY, 99 

the Prophets did write, and I have given them demonstrative 
proofs that I came not of myself, but that God sent me, and 
that I speak not my own words, but the words of the Father 
that sent me ; my works that I do in my Father's name prove 
this, and the humble poverty of my condition evidences that I 
seek not my own glory or advancement, but the honor of Him 
that sent me. And I have done all that can be done to convince 
and to challenge the faith of rational men." And notwithstand- 
ing the law of Moses and the Prophets are read every Sabbath 
day in their synagogues, whither the people flock to hear ; yet 
these " lights of Israel" — these learned doctors, by their expo- 
sitions and their traditions, handed down by their fathers, have 
so perverted and obscured the voice of Moses, as to render it 
almost inaudible and unintelligible to themselves or to the people, 
and the consequence is, u I am not recognised by them ; I ap- 
pear to them as a plant out of dry and barren ground, having 
neither form or comeliness, that they should desire me." "They 
seek honors one of another, and not die honor which cometh 
from Gjd only ; therefore, I am rejected. They hide their faces 
from me, and I am dispised by them." "The love of praise, 
flattery, office, place, emolument, and to be called of men Rabbi, 
doctors of the law, and teachers. These have all conspired to 
hide me and my evidences from their eyes;" "therefore, if any 
man among you will be my disciple, he must deny himself ail 
these, take up his cross daily, and follow me." And further, 
"if you would escape the sad consequences that now afflict the 
Jews with blindness and delusion, and would be my disciples 
indeed, and not in appearance, as the Jews are of Moses, then 
continue in my words, and be not enticed away under the plausi- 
ble pretext of u learned expounders," or any " stranger" ct 
" hireling" teacher, and by doing as I now direct, you shall 
know the truth infallibly; and this truth shall make you free 
from all doubts, and from all the dreadful consequences of de- 
ception and delusion!" 

I» not this clearly the import of the whole teachings of Christ 



100 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

Ihroughout His Ministry? As clearly so as the sun in a cloud- 
less sky at noonday! But, alas, "men will still love greetings 
in the market places, and the uppermost seats in the synagogues, 
and to be called of men Rabbi." They will not forsake the 
divinity of their fathers — the system of " learned doctors of the- 
ology." Men will not forsake all these uncertain , unsteady, 
contradictory, and delusive lights, which, like the ignisfatuus. 
shine but to mislead ! " But, if ye abide in me, and my words 
abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto 
you, of my Father who is in Heaven." Here the efficacy and 
the availibility of prayers is based on discipleship. The abi- 
ding in the words spoken by Christ, is declared to be the only 
means of securing the favor of God, that is : obedience, and a 
liie conformable to His precepts. If this be not His meaning, 
what did He mean ? Will a bare assent of the mind, and an 
enthusiastical reliance on the atonement, save a man ? But 
how are we to continue in the favor of God ? Is not this an im- 
portant question ? To whom shall we go for a solution of it ? 
Such an one as is beyond cavil or dispute ? Or can such a so- 
lution be had? The solution of this question has called in re- 
quisition wonderous learning. On it hangs the eternal destinies 

i O D 

of men ! Colleges have been erected, volumes written, and 
■millions of money yearly expended, and all to hire men to solve 
that question ! And what is gained by all this array of worldly 
means ? The result has been like unto that of the woman with 
her affliction ; she had spent all her living on physicians, and 
received no benefit, but grew worse ! So with all these means 
— yes, by all this wonderful array of appliances, the question has 
only been involved in doubt and uncertainty, and enshrouded in 
impenatrable mystery! What, then, shall we do? Like the poor 
afflicted woman we will abandon all such physicians — all such 
learned doctors of divinity, and builders of theological theories, 
and makers of religious systems, and go direct to Christ, and if 
He cannot solve it, then in ignorance we must forever remain, 
until God shall send another messenger from Heaven, to rectify 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 101 

His mistakes, and supply His omission ! But it is a pleasing 
and gratifying fact to all lovers of truth, (and it is better dis- 
covered late than never,) that they may, by applying to Christ, 
as she did, have all doubts removed. They will vanish 
like mist before the light and heat of the sun. Hear it : " If a 
man keep my commandments, he shall abide in my love." Here 
is the solution, simple and easy to understand. The wayfaring 
man need not err, though ignorant of other things. This solu- 
tion is more satisfactory, more to be depended on, and more 
convincing, and, consequently, more powerful in its effects on 
the believer, than any that all the learned doctors of divinity, all 
the theologians and prelates united, from the Pope downwards, 
could give ! It is the decision of God himself, and what more 
can any man ask or desire? If this solution of that important 
question does not give a man rest and freedom from doubts, 
then for him there is no hope! If He who speaks from Heaven, 
cannot afford a permanent and satisfactory basis for confidence 
and sure trust, who on earth, or under the earth, can ? This 
one sentance of Jehovah, is sufficient to dispel all anxious 
doubts ; but it is repeated again and again, in various forms, as 
if though Christ considered it the most important truth, and the 
most pregnant with consequence of higher import to the believer, 
than any other in all Christianity ! Who are the friends of God 
and of Christ? We mean, who are so considered by God? — 
For it matters but very little »vho are esteemed the friends of 
Christ by the world ; but, certainly, it is of the greatest impor- 
tance whom Christ will recognize as His friends! O, how 
this question has perplexed and tormented many sincere souls. 
Do I love the Lord or not ? Is God reconciled, or am I yet 
in my sins? Does God look complacently on me, or is His 
wrath still impending over my devoted head ? They resort to 
learned doctors of theology, and they prescribe differently, as 
directed by their schools and their books of divinity, and ulti- 
mately the distressed soul is induced to believe in the skill of 
the doctor, and his advice is received as conclusive, and the 



102 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

soul rests in its delusion ! Vain physicians ! " They heal the 
wounds of the daughter of my people, slightly," said God. — 
And why is it so ? Is there no balm in Gillead? Is there no 
physician there ? Has not God amply provided infallible reme- 
dies ? Such as can be depended on, without a shadow of doubt, 
or fear of deception ? Yes, verily, all this is done ! Here it 
is : " Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. 17 
Now, the efficacy of this word depends on two things ; first, a 
firm belief that they were in very truth, spoken by God, and 
this is called faith ; secondly, obedience, and this is the fruits 
of faith; " herein is my Father glorified, if ye bear much fruit." 
On these two fundamental principles is based all the legitimate 
hopes of man — all his prospects of obtaining a blissful immor- 
tality ! On this rock, reared by God and not man, in the midst 
of the tempestuous sea of life, the believer, " the disciple in- 
deed,'' 1 may stand secure, and though surrounded by its surging 
billows, rejoice in prospect of immortality and eternal life ! — 
The hopes reposing on this foundation cannot be moved! Even 
earth's foundation may give way, and be removed out of its 
place; yet, these principles will sustain the believer unharmed. 
"For the word of God endureth forever," and this is that word, 
which is proclaimed to us in the gospel of Christ : "If a man 
keep my sayings he shall never see death," said Jesus. Again, 
<c he that heareth my commandments and keepeth them, he it is 
that loveth me, and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Fa- 
ther, and I will love him and manifest myself to him." On 
hearing these words, one of his disciples asked him : " Lord, 
how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself to us and not to the 
world?" Jesus answered and said unto him : " If a man love 
me he will keep my words, and my Father will love him, and we 
will come and make our abode with him. He that loveth me 
not, keepeth not my sayings, and the word which ye hear is not 
mine, but the Father's which sent me." Can anything be 
made more plain than this ? Every thing then depends on obe- 
dience to the precepts of Christ, and on His only. The com- 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 103 

forts, the joys, and all the consolations of religion, depends on 
sincere obedience to the precepts of Christ, including the in- 
dwelling of the Holy Spirit, through whom all proceeds ; "for 
He shall take of mine and shew it to you. " " Ye are the habi- 
tation of God through the Spirit," said Paul ; " but if any man 
defile this temple, him will God destroy !" This discourse of 
the Lord Jesus was spoken after the last supper, and during 
the interval between that last social and eventful meal, and His 
apprehension by the officers of the High Priests, and whilst 
Judas, the traitor, was absent negotiating for His delivery ! — 
The circumstances then were of the most imposing and impres- 
sive nature that can be conceived of! The disciples were on 
the eve of being separated forever, as to this world, from their 
adored teacher and friend, and left to buffit the opposition of a 
cruel world — a world deadly hostile to every principle taught 
by their master ; and he just about to be taken by^wicked hands, 
and crucified for what he taught' Surely they must have heard 
with the deepest interest, every word that fell from his godlike 
lips ! Whilst he, firm as the anvil against the stroke, stood the 
personification of truth, fortifying his devoted disciples against the 
swiftly approaching catastrophe! "The good shepherd was about 
to lay down his life for his own sheep, and thus teaching them 
that they should so love each other, as he had loved them, and 
should lay down their lives for the brethren." The shepherd 
was now to be smitten, and the sheep scattered to the ends of 
the earth, carrying with them the Words, by which men must be 
saved, if saved at all. The prospect to them was truly terific 
and gloomy ! Nothing but stripes, imprisonment, the loss of 
character, friends, property, and of death, in its most torturing 
aspects, lie before them ! All this was sufficient to make the 
most lion-hearted, quail. If any consideration is due to these 
circumstances, then obedience to the precepts of Christ must be 
entitled to that consideration , for, they are the substance of the 
discourse of that memorable period! It was the method pre- 
scribed by Christ to his disciples, as the only way they could ex- 



104 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

hibit their love and friendship for him ; and, also, the only way 
by which they could secure the favor and the protection of God 
in their forlorn condition in this world, and to raise them to joys 
immortal and eternal in the life to come ! " Sanctify them 
through thy truth — thy word is truth ;" u without holiness no 
man shall see the Lord;" "everyone that hath this hope in 
him, purifieth himself, even as God is pure." But how are 
men to purify themselves ? " Seeing that ye have purified your 
hearts by obeying the truth" said an Apostle, faith and obedi- 
ence can no more be separated, than can soul and body. Faith 
in Christ as the Son Df God, is the root — obedience the product 
—faith the foundation — obedience the edifice, " Of his own 
will begat he us again, with the word of truth ;" u receive with 
meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls: 
but be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving 
your own souls, for if a man be a hearer of the word, and not a 
doer, he is like a man beholding his face in a glass, and for- 
geteth what manner of man he is ; but whoso looketh into the 
perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a 
forgetful hearer, but a doer of the word, that man shall be 
blessed in his deed. If ye fulfil the royal law, according to the 
Scriptures, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself, ye do well. 
So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of 
liberty. There is one law-giver who is able to save and de- 
stroy." What does it profit, my brethren, though a man say 
he hath faith, and have not works ? Can faith save him ? If 
a brother or sister be destitute of daily food, and one of you 
say unto them, depart in peace, and be filled and warmed, not- 
withstanding ye give them not those things which are needful 
for the body, what doth it profit ? Even so, faith, if it hath not 
works, is dead, being alone I Show me thy faith without thy 
works, and I will show thee my faith by my works. Thou be- 
lievest there is one God. Thou doest well. The devils also, 
believe and tremble. But wilt thou know, vain man, that 
faith without works is dead ? Was not Abraham, our father, 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 105 

justified by his works, when he had offered Isaac, his son, upon 
the altar ? Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and 
by works was faith made perfect? And the Scripture was ful- 
filled which sayeth, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed 
to him for righteousness, and he was called the friend of God" 
— (his faith producing obedience to the commands of God, pro- 
cured Abraham the favor and friendship of God, and notwith- 
standing he was not permitted to proceed to the extremity of 
the command, yet he demonstrated his readiness to do so when 
required. This shows that the utmost penalty of the law of 
works is not possible or exacted; for that required uninterrupted 
and perpetual obedience, and one solitary transgression incurred 
death ! On this principle, " no flesh can, or ever was, justified 
by the deeds of the law," whether Jew or Gentile. It was 
Abraham's unshaken faith, connected with obedience, as far as 
demanded by God, and that was to the extent of sacrificing his 
only son ! For he did virtually sacrifice him, and would have 
plunged the knife into his heart, had not God arrested his up- 
lifted arm, and presented a substitute! This faith thus opera- 
ting, and productive of obedience so extreme, was imputed for 
righteousness.) "So ye see then, how, by works, a man is 
justified, and not by faith only." " If any man among you 
seemeth to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, that man 
deceiveth himself, and his religion is vain. Pure religion, and 
undefiled before God and the Father, is this : to visit the father- 
less and widow in their affliction, and to keep himself unspot- 
ted from the world." Thus St. James taught. Now let us 
see where this Apostle learned his doctrine. The principles on 
which the eternal conditions of men will be determined, is thus 
given by Christ, by whom they shall be judged : " And He 
shall set the sheep on His right hand, and the goats on His 
left. Then shall the King say unto them on His right hand, 
1 come ye blessed of ray Father, inherit the kingdom prepared 
for you from the foundation of the world ; for I was an hungered 
and ye gave me meat, I was thirsty and ye gave me drink, I 



106 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

was a stranger and ye took me in, naked and ye clothed me, I 
was sick and ye visited me, I was in prison and ye came unto 
me.' Then shall the righteous say, ' Lord, when saw we thus, 
and did so ?' And the King shall answer and say unto them, 
* verily, I say unto you, inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of 
the least of these, my brethren, ye have done it unto me.' — 
Then shall He say to those on His left hand, * depart from me, 
ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his 
angels, for I was an hungered and ye gave me no meat, I was 
thirsty and ye gave me no drink, I was a stranger and ye took 
me not in, naked and ye clothed me not, sick and in prison, and 
ye visited me not.' Then they also shall say, 'Lord, when saw 
we thee so, and did not?' Then shall the King reply, 'verily, 
I say unto you, inasmuch as ye did it not unto the least of these, 
ye did it not unto me.' " 

Paul, also, thus teaches : " What shall we say then ? Shall 
we continue in sin, that grace may abound ? God forbid ! — 
How shall we that are dead to sin live any longer therein ? — 
Know ye not that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus 
Christ, were baptised into his death ? Therefore we are hur- 
ried with Him by baptizm into death, that like as Christ was 
raised from the dead by the glory of the Father ; even so, we, 
also, should walk in newness of life. Knowing this that our 
old man is crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be 
destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he 
that is dead is free from sin, let not sin, therefore, reign in 
your mortal bodies, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. 
Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteous- 
ness unto sin, but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are 
alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of right- 
eousness unto God. Know ye not that to whom ye yield your- 
selves servants to obey, his servants ye are whom ye obey, 
whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness ? 
Being made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteous- 
ness ; but now being made free from sin and become the ser- 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 107 

rants of God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end 
everlasting life." — The servant of God obeys God, and the fruit 
of that obedience is everlasting life ; and if God be not obeyed 
by any man, then that man is not the servant of God. He is 
yet in his sins, and serves sin, and is free from righteousness ; 
u for, if ye live after the flesh ye shall die ; but if ye, through 
the spirit, do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live ; for, 
as many as are led by the spirit, they are the sons of God /" — 
Again, Paul, after having presented to the believer, in a manner 
the most full and satisfactory, the unsaught and unasked for 
goodness of God, in the gift of His Son, Jesus Christ, and the 
fullness and freeness of their call to embrace this favor, said : 
" I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that 
ye present your bodies a living sacrifice to God, holy, acceptable 
to Him, which is your reasonable service, and be not conformed 
to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your 
minds, that ye may prove what is that good and acceptable will 
of God." Now, if there be any meaning in the words of the 
Apostle it is this : God, by his unmerited favors, has laid us 
under great obligations, requiring on our part love and obedi- 
ence, to the extent of all our renewed powers and energies ; and 
if we would be made partakers of the full design of God, and 
would obtain the fruition of the hope set before us by the gos- 
pel of God's dear Son, we must lead new lives. We must be 
transformed, and no longer indulge in any of the practices or in 
the spirit of the world ; therefore, " let love be without dissimu- 
lation, abhor that which is evil, cleave to that which is good, 
be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love — not 
slothful in business, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord — distri- 
buting to the necessities of the saints, given to hospitality. — 
Bless them which persecute you, bless, and curse not. Recom- 
pense no man evil lor evil. Provide things honest in the sight 
of all men. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves. There- 
fore, if thine enemy hunger, feed him ; if he thirst, give him 
drink. Be not overcome with evil, but overcome evil with 



108 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

good. Owe no man anything, but to love one another; for he 
that loveth another fulfilleth the law. For this thou shalt not 
kill, thou shalt not commit adultery, thou shalt not steal, thou 
shalt not bear false witness, thou shalt not covet, and if there be 
any other commandment it is briefly comprehended in this say- 
ing, namely : Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. Love 
worketh no ill to his neighbor, therefore, love is the fulfilling of 
the law." " For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink, 
(a mere faith without works, a thing of outward observances,) 
but righteousness, (obeying the precepts of Christ,) and peace, 
and joy in the Holy Ghost ; for he that in these things serve 
Christ, is acceptable to God, and approved of men" — Rom. — 
" Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the king- 
dom of God V Who are the unrighteous? Righteousness is 
a conformity in practice of a man, to the precepts of a law, of 
acknowledged authority. By this law his knowledge of right 
and wrong is obtained, and his consciousness of guilt and inno- 
cence determined. With professing christians this rule or law 
is the " new covenant," through our Lord Jesus Christ. A 
christian's righteousness consists, therefore, in the conformity 
of his life, spirit and practice, to the precepts of Christ, his law- 
giver', and by, that his knowledge of right and wrong is ac- 
quired, and his consciousness of guilt or innocence determined. 
This is the view of the Apostle — indisputably so, for he pro- 
ceeds to say : u Be not deceived, neither fornicators nor idola- 
tors, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves 
with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor 
revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God." — 
"Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ." We 
think if a man should measure his obedience to ChrisV s precepts 
by the example of St. Paul, there would be in that man but lit- 
tle, if any thing short of perfect obedience ! And again : " Be 
ye followers of God, as dear children-" "let every one who 
nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity." But to pre- 
sent all the scriptural proofs, that obedience to the precepts of 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 109 

Christ is essential to salvation, and, also, justification, as much 
)8o as obedience to the precepts of Moses was to the justification 
of a Jew, we should be compelled to transcribe more than the 
half of the New Testament ! Every blessing that comes from 
God of a spiritual nature, is promised only on condition of obe- 
dience to the precepts of God, as given by Christ ! And it only- 
needs for a man to become " the disciple of Christ indeed, and 
learn of Him," to see and feel it. We will, therefore, add but 
one more quotation, and this we do, because it is given by the 
Apostle to the Galatians, as a warning not to deceive themselves 
in relation to salvation by faith, which he had just been so 
strenuously insisting upon : " For, brethren, ye have been called 
unto liberty, only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh ; 
but by love serve one another, for all the law is fulfilled in one 
word, even this: thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." This 
is the very caution he gave the Romans, when he had been ur- 
ging the doctrines of grace, and that there may be no evading 
his meaning of what he meant by flesh, he said: " Now, the 
works of the flesh are these, and are manifest and plain — adul- 
tery, fornication, uncleanness, lacivousness, idolatry, witchcraft, 
hatred, varience, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, herisies, 
eiivyings, murders, drunkenness, revelings, and such like," 
(but too numerous to detail.) Of the which I tell you before, 
as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such 
things shall not inherit the kingdom of God; but the fruits of the 
spirit (by which believers are led, and through which they over- 
come and mortify the flesh,) are, love, joy, peace, long suffer- 
ing, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance. — 
Against such there is no law ; and they that are Chrisfs^ have 
crucified the flesh, and the affections and lusts thereof." 

What more abundant and authenticated evidence can be de- 
sired, to establish the truth of our position ? It remains, there- 
fore, an infallible truth, that without obedience to the precepts 
ot Christ Jesus, the Lord, there is no salvation ! And, also, 
that obedience to the law of God, as given by Christ in the new 



110 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

covenant, is man's part to do, in order to be made the partakers 
of the blessings therein promised. 

We are furnished, in the person of Martin Lather, the great 
reformer, so called, of the fatal consequences of receiving the 
opinions of " great and learned divines," instead of learning of 
Christ. He had imbibed the doctrine of unconditional election 
and reprobation. This doctrine was first taught by Augustin, 
a disciple of Plato, of whom he learned it; for it is notorious that 
Augustin's theology was a mixture of Platoism and Christianity'. 
So firmly were these opinions, derived by tradition from the fa- 
thers, fixed in the mind of Luther, that rather than part with 
them he repudiated St. James' epistle ! because it was impossi- 
ble to believe him and Agustin ; and, therefore, he discarded 
that Apostle's epistle as of no authority, and spurious! Now, 
if the doctrine of obedience to the precepts of the Lord Jesus, as 
contained in the "law of liberty," (and obedience to which 
James speaks of,) be good cause for repudiation and rejection 
of any part of scripture, then, from the evidence that we have 
presented alone, not only James but Paul, Peter, and Christ too, 
must also be rejected, for they all agree in the one thing. All 
insist on obedience to God, and all speak of salvation as utter- 
ly impossible without it ! There is a oneness of doctrine on 
this subject, from Matthew to the Apocalypse, proving the dicta- 
tion of one God through one teacher. Luther had as well have 
repudiated the christian religion! 

Seeing, then, that obedience to the precepts of the Son of 
God is, by God, made absolutely essential to the obtaining a 
blessed eternity, and a fitness for His kingdom in Heaven, it 
follows that all who seek to enter into that kingdom, should 
sure that they are really and truly keeping God's precepts, Gfin 
not something of man's substitution. If, then, any man would 
be, as he may, infallibly sure of this important fact, he must 
place himself exclusively lender the tuition of Christ, for He 
only can teach the way of God and to God, infallibly true and 
sure. 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. Ill 

That this truth, pregnent as it is with the eternal fate of mil- 
lions of immortal spirits j may be duly appreciated, we will show 
how cautious the Apostles were on this subject, lest believers 
should be misled, "and run as uncertainly, and fight as those 
that beat the air, for none are crowned except they strive law- 
fully." Jesus, the great head of all, thus warned His disciples: 
6i Srrive to enter in at the straight gate, ybr many shall seek to 
enter in, and shall not be able /" One would suppose that this 
caution, coming too from such high authority, was sufficient to 
make men hesitate in selecting their teacher, on a subject in- 
volving so deep a stake ! The holy Apostles had been taught 
the priceless value of the souls of mankind, and they had been 
taught too, that obedience to the truh alone could sanctify them, 
and save them from destruction. Hence Christ, in His dis- 
courses, gave so many warnings to His disciples, of the immi- 
nent danger of being misled and deceived, and directed, as the 
only security, an uninterrupted adherence to His instructions. 
The holy and inspired Apostles who followed their master in all 
things, also reiterates the same thing, and sounds the trumpet of 
alarm, and caution with a loud and long blast, so that their let- 
ters to the disciples are crowded with caution and warnings ! 

The prejudices which we are endeavoring to remove, are of 
long standing and deeply rooted. In consequence of which, 
our hopes of success to much extent are feeble indeed, never- 
theless we will use our best efTorts, and leave our labors to the 
deliberate consideration of those to whom these pages may 
come. 

The subject of discipleship is fraught with results of such 
magnitude, and to so many of the human race, as to command 
all our energies. Therefore, to doubly sustain the absolute im- 
portance of a "continuancy in the words of Christ," that men 
may " str'.ve lawfully" and win the crown which is reserved in 
Heaven, for such as are "the disciples of CJui>t indeed," and 
obey His voice and follow Him, and not " strangers and hire- 
lings," on this account and for this purpose, wc v ill give r con- 



112 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

nested view of the cautious manner of the teachings of those true 
Ambassadors of Christ — cautions, amounting to fear and trem- 
bling on their part. 

The first in order after the Master himself, is Paul. " I tes- 
tify unto you brethren, that the Gospel which was proclaimed of 
me, was not of man ; for I neither received it of man, neither was 
1 taught it, but by revelation from Jesus Christ." This was to 
assure the believer, that by receiving his instructions, and obey- 
ing his injunctions, they were truly obeying the voice of God — 
as truly as if God was speaking to them through Christ in per- 
son, and because it was the continuation of the divine mission 
of the Son of God in the persons of the Apostles, he said : 
"Now then, we (Apostles) are Ambassadors for Christ, as though 
God did beseech you by us, we pray you in Christ's stead, be 
ye reconciled to God, for to us are committed the words (or 
conditions) of reconciliation." "This treasure is in earthen 
vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and 
not of man" — that is, it is all of God. To us you are under no 
obligations whatever. It is the free gift of God to you. It 
cost us nothing to purchase it. The Gospel cannot be learned 
in the schools, and, therefore, it owes nothing to our learning or 
invention ; and it will cost you as much to embrace it, as it does 
us to publish it, and all the energy and sustaining power is from 
God. " Therefore, I determined to know nothing among you, 
save Jesus Christ, and Him crucified." " Whom we proclaim 
(as your prophet to instruct, your priest and sacrifice to atone 
and interceed with God, and your King, to govern you,) warn- 
ing every man, teaching every man, in all wisdom, that we may 
present every man perfect in Christ Jesus ; therein also I labor." 
" My whole duty is to win you to Christ, not to myself, not to 
my interests, but to make you His \ disciples indeed,' and not 
mine." " Let a man so account of us, as ministers (servants) 
of Jesus Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God." The 
Apostle disclaims any knowledge whatever of the gospel but as 
he had received it from Christ ; and the words or condition of 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 113 

salvation was a mystery to all men, save the Apostles, to whom 
it was revealed by Christ, and that he was only to be considered 
as a steward of that mystery, for the purpose of dispensing it to 
all that would receive it ; and as a faithful and an honest slave of 
his Lord, gives out in kind and quality the goods entrusted to 
him, as directed by his master. Even so Paul was doing with 
the words of life. " The bread which came down from heaven, 
of which if a man eat, he shall never die;" — "moreover, it is re- 
quired of a steward that he be found faithful." As he received, 
so he gave out, neither adding, adulterating, or keeping hack. 
" I have," said he, " declared to you the whole council of God;" 
and, when declared, it was no longer a mystery. The Apostle 
never sold his Lord's goods to enrich himself! " Freely ye 
havereceivedj/reety give," said Christ. The Apostle labored 
to be a faithful steward, and looked for his reward in Heaven. 
He knew the vast importance of faithfulness in the matter ot 
his mission. " Seeing, therefore, that we have been put in 
possession of the gospel, we use great plainness of speech"— 
u and I, brethren, when I came unto you, came not unto you 
with excellency of speech, or of wisdom, declaring unto you 
the testimony of God; and my preaching and my speech was 
not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in the demonstra- 
tion of the spirit and of power, that your faith might not stand 
in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God." 

In these words of the Apostle, we are taught several very 
weighty truths. First : what he taught — " the testimony ot* 
God" — that is, the naked declarations of God as the terms of 
the new covenant, the conditions on which he would be re- 
conciled to men. These terms are, as we have clearly shown, 
discipleship and obedience to the precepts of Christ. Second : 
the manner of declaring God's testimony ; " not with excellency 
of speech or the wisdom of men, but in demonstration of the 
spirit and of power." By " excellency of speech," is plainly 
meant oratory, or fine, facinating and "enticing words," such 
as please the imagination and lead captive the feelings of ih<e 

H 



114 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

heart, whilst the judgment is unconvinced. In all important 
undertakings, difficult and harzardous enterprises, the feelings 
of men should be moved to action by the judgment, that great 
lever which nerves the soul to noble deeds, and to perseverance 
under sufferings and privations. The judgment being con- 
vinced of the absolute necessity of action on any given subject, 
then fear, hope and love, are brought to feel and act, 8nd as the 
prospect of success opens, joy and gladness is the fruit. But 
when these auxiliaries of the judgment are addressed by oratory 
and powerful appeals, and the judgment not at all, or only par- 
tially convinced ; then all the effects evaporate when the stimu- 
1 >us is removed ! Nothing but an abiding conviction of the 
judgment can keep the feelings at their duty, in any enterprise 
requiring deeds of self denial, for they are averse to all such 
deeds, and delight only in that which gratifies them,, such as 
oratory, music, and imaginings, or that which promises go-od 
things without labor. This view corresponds with all the 
teachings of the Son of God, and of this the Apostle was 
aware ; therefore, he purposely avoided such aids as useless in 
making disciples to Christ. If he hfld up to them the crown 
of immortal glory, he also told them that to obtain it, they must 
deny themselves all ungodliness and worldly desires, and live 
soberly, godly, and righteously in this present world ; " that if 
they would reign with Christ, they must also suffer with Him;" 
that to be His disciple, they must forsake all, take up the cross, 
and follow His directions. Such he would say, are the only 
terms of reconciliation, as committed to me, and such are the 
terms on which I myself became a disciple. I made up my 
mind, after calm and deep reflection, " that the sufferings of 
this present life are not worthy to be compared with the glory 
that shall be revealed in us" who are Christ's disciples. 

In his preaching, there was none of the arts and sophistry of 
the Platonic or of the Aristotelian schools employed : these were 
as much calculated to mislead the judgment, as was an appeal 
to the passions. Neither did he endeavor to accommodate 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 115 

Christianity to the theories of the philosophy of the schools, in 
order to make it the more acceptable to the learned, and more 
palitable, plausible, or less obnoxious to the people. All this 
he calls " man's wisdom." 

He fully proved the divinity of his words or teachings by 
miracles, as called by him "demonstration of the spirit and of 
power.' 5 Thus, as God had testified of His Son's mission, be- 
cause he spoke only the words of God. Even so he testified to 
the mission of the Ambassadors of His Son, because they taught 
only the words of that Son. Their mission being but a perpetu- 
ation of the mission of Christ, and the mission of the Son of 
God is now perpetuated by the New Testament only. The reason 
assigned for his extreme caution was, "that your faith should not 
stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God" — that is, 
that you should believe, and rest your hopes of immortality and 
eternal life, on nothing but the simple, pure, and unmixed "tes- 
timony of God." Every word demonstrated to be such by 
<he miraculous power of God, such as cannot admit of a doubt. 

When such unrivaled and awfully great interests are at stake, 
as an endless duration of happiness, or of unspeakable misery, 
as Christianity reveals ; and all this suspended on the belief and 
the practice of the truth, as taught by Christ, including his 
words and his example. Is it to be wondered at, that the Apos- 
tle was so tremblingly cautious of what he taught ? But, on the 
other hand, is it not the wonder of wonders, that men who pro- 
fess to believe all this, should have the presumptuous hardihood 
to frame systems of religious faith, " and compass sea and land 
to make proselytes to them," and resort to every artifice, and 
use every effort that ingenuity, talent, learning, and influence or 
money can effect, to accomplish their presumptuous and daring- 
purposes? And not satisfied with this, they employ all the ar- 
tifice, and all other means within their reach, to retain their 
proselytes under their control, so that if the founder of the sys- 
tem should have ircorporated any error of faith or practice, they 
make it almost impossible for their votaries or disciples to right 



116 TREATISE ON CHRISTIAKITY. 

themselves again ! By this means they " shut up the kingdom 
of Heaven, and will neither enter in themselves nor suffer others 
to enter in that would !" And these men too, profess to be 
selected and qualified by God, as the successors of the Apostles, 
to perpetuate and extend their mission! ! Heaven deliver the 
world from such gross and dangerous delusions! The stream 
cannot rise higher than the fountain from whence it originates. 
But hear the Apostle : " We proclaim not ourselves, but Christ 
Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your servants for His sake"— "as 
we were allowed of God, to be put in trust of the gospel, even 
so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God, who trieth our 
hearts ; neither at any time used we flattering words, as ye 
yourselves know; nor a cloak of covetousness, God is witness; 
nor of men sought we honors, nor of you, nor of others. For 
this cause thank we God without ceasing, that ye received the 
word, not as the word of man, but as it is in truth, the word of 
God, which worketh in you effectually that believe. " " The 
weapons of our warfare are not carnal," — that is, we Apostles 
have used none of the arts, craft, or sophistry of logic, rhetoriek, 
oratory, and learning, to gain you to our interests, " for we 
seek not yours, but you." Our sole object is to convince men 
that Christ, who was crucified by the Jews, was the Son Df God, 
end His accredited messenger to the world, and that we are the 
accredited Embassadors of that Son, and that, by hearing us, 
you are hearing Him, and to beseech men to become the dis- 
ciples, the learners of Christ, as obedience to his precepts only 
can secure you the favor of God. If, therefore, we can accom- 
plish this, then we have done all ; but if, by the use of flattering 
words, excellency of speech, the facinations of oratory, or of 
any worldly wisdom, or by any of the appliancies of worldly 
policy, they could win over to a mere nominal faith all men, 
nothing would be gained to the cause of Christianity ; .and, 
therefore, not only did the Apostles refuse all such, but studious- 
ly avoided them as extremely dangerous to the success of their 
great mission. Truth, the naked truth, and nothing but the 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 117 

truth, sustained and demonstrated to be the truth of God, by the 
" demonstration of the spirit and of power." If this failed, 
then they were content that their mission should fail too ; for 
they sought not theirs, whether of applause, friendship, influ- 
ence, or money; but their obedience to Christ, as "His disciples 
indeed," Hence, the weapons of our warfare are not worldly, 
but mighty through God, casting down imaginations and every 
high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, 
and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of 
Christ." 

The Apostles were, and desired the people to look on them 
only, as the echo of the voice of their Lord and master, Jesus 
Christ. " Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel 
which I preached unto you, and which ye received, and where- 
in ye stand, and by which ye are saved ; if ye keep in memory 
what Ipreached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain, for 
I delivered unto you that which / also received." I have no 
other gospel for you — I have nothing new to tell you — all the 
conditions of the new covenant — all the words of reconciliation 
that were committed to my trust, as a steward of God, I have 
faithfully made known to you ; it remains with you to treasure 
them up in your memories, and practice them in your life, and 
you shall be saved, and if ye do not so you have believed in 
vain! "Now, I praise you, brethren, that you remember me 
in all things, and keep the ordinances as I delivered them unto 
you." But you are under no obligations to me. The instruc- 
tions which I give you are not the offspring of learning, research, 
or any reasonings of mine ; " for we are not capable of such 
discoveries, or to think anything (in reference to salvation) of 
ourselves. Our sufficiency is of God, who also hath made us 
able (competent) ministers of the New Testament. Where- 
fore, seeing we have this ministry, we faint not, but have re- 
nounced the hidden things of dishonesty. Not walking in 
craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully ; but by 
manifestation of the truth, commending ourselves to every man's 



118 TREATISE OS CHRISTIANITY. 

conscience in the sight of God. But if (after all our proofs} 
our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost, in whom the 
God of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe 
not, lest the light of the glorious gospel should shine in unto 
them." 

The Apostle, who should by all Christians, be good authority, 
does in the most positive manner assert, that he knew nothing 
of Christianity, but by express revelation from God, and that 
what he so received he taught, and nothing more. " Which 
things also we speak, not in the ivords which man y s wisdom 
teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth, comparing spiritual 
things with spiritual ;" and, therefore, " God himself had made 
them competent ministers of the New Testament. 7 ' Now, said 
the Apostle, "if an angel from heaven proclaim any other gos- 
pel to you, receive him not" — that is, if any man, having the 
talents, the eloquence, the appearance, and the apparent good- 
ness and love of one of those angelic beings, and in addition to 
all these qualities, he should claim to be sent as a messenger 
from Heaven to you — if such a being, so gifted and so qualified, 
should, under any plausible pretext, divert your minds from the 
pure and naked words of Christ, and of the Holy Ghost, as tes- 
tified to by the miraculous power of God, "receive him not?" — 
Why not ? Because the interests of an endless duration are too 
unspeakably great, to put them to any hazard whatever. Obe- 
dience to the teachings of Christ only, can secure those inter- 
ests. Moreover, the Apostle does most unequivocally declare 
that all learning, all knowledge, or any acquirements, not com- 
ing directly and exclusively from God, are worthless in a teacher 
of Christianity, " for God only can make of men able or com- 
petent ministers of the New Testament." And for this cause, 
He, himself, studiously and as an honest and faithful steward 
of the words of God, rejected all such aids ; and when the 
iC hirelings and the strangers" of His day, attempted to under- 
mine His authority in consequence of what they termed His 
rudeness of speech and contemptible language, lacking, as thej 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 119 

urged, the characteristics of a competent teacher of the sub- 
lime science of Religion. To all such then and now, He would 
reply, "do we pursuade men, or God ? Or do I seek to please 
men ? For if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of 
Christ ; for I certify you brethren, that the gospel which was 
proclaimed of me is not after man." Contemplate this able 
minister of the New Testament, made such by God himsell. — 
The truth of God, the sword of the spirit his only weapon ! — 
His only duty was to proclaim to the world that God had sent 
His Son into the world, as a light to guide mankind through 
this life, to a glorious immortality. To publish the laws of His 
kingdom, and to assure all that obedience to those laws, was, 
by God, made essential to their obtaining that object. If these 
truths, supported by competent testimony, could not convince 
the judgment and awaken the conscience, so as to produce obe- 
dience and regenerate the heart and life, it could not be for the 
lack of power in the words. But if any man thought other- 
wise, then, in his case, there was no remedy, and in that belief 
he must perish! But, however, they may endeavor to lay the 
cause of failure in the want of excellency of speech, the charms 
of oratory, the reasoning of the schools of philosophers, or 
zealous and overwhelming appeals to the feelings, or to any 
other cause whatever, yet the true cause of failure in the power 
of the words of truth, delivered in soberness, was, that the god, 
or the things of this world, its pleasures and interests, had 
blinded their minds, lest the light of the glorious gospel should 
shine in unto them.'" 

Now, why was the Apostle so tremblingly cautious in his 
manner of teaching Christianity ? No other cause can be as- 
signed, other than its vital importance; for on all subjects not 
involving vital interest, he was remarkable for his pliancy. — 
His motto on all matters not involving the purity of Christiani- 
ty and the salvation of men, was, " all things to all men, that 
he might gain the more." But in relation to the truths of the 
gospel, and the manner of teaching them, he was a rock im- 



120 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

moveable ! It is, then, the plain and positive declaration of the 
Apostle, that the matter and the manner of teaching Christi- 
anity is of the most vital importance to the purity, the power, 
and the efficiency of the gospel, and to the salvation of souls. 
Was he not capable of eloquence when occasions called for it ? 
Witness his discourses in the Acts of the Apostles. He could 
disarm the ragings of a mob, clammering for his life ; and cause 
monarchs to tremble on their thrones by the force of his elo- 
quence ! A connected train of logical reasoning — Festus ex- 
claimed : "Paul, thou art beside thyself; much learning doth 
make thee mad !" u And Felix trembled when Paul reasoned 
of righteousness, temperance, and a judgment to come." But 
these were extraordinary occasions, that called forth the efforts 
of the man, and not Paul, as a teacher of Christianity. But 
even on these occasions his eloquence was the majesty of truth, 
for his discourses consisted in a connected chain of important 
facts, admitted to be true by his hearers, and brought to bear 
on their judgments and consciences. It wasthejWe of truth. 
Were the audiences to whom the Apostle proclaimed "all 
the words of eternal life," rude and uninformed? No ! But 
it was at a time, and in places when and where, polite literature 
and eloquence had attained its zenith ! And when oratory was 
the chief instrument in the hands of aspirents to place and 
power, to win the popular favor ; and, also, the time when, and 
the places where, the learned philosophers employed all the 
devises of logic, eloquence and sophistry, that learning could 
invent, to gain disciples to their various systems, and to render 
themselves and their sect popular. Yea, moreover, it was at 
such a time, and in the cities of Rome, Ephesurs, Corinth, and 
Athens, where luxury of thought, of passions, and of living, 
had attained their perfection ; it was in these cities, and at such 
a time, that Paul, the Ambassador of the Son of God, pro- 
claimed the unsearchable riches of Christ ; but not in a manner 
to meet their literary tastes, or to gratify their curiosity for 
novelties, and to tickle their itching ears with excellency of 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 121 

speech, but to state and to demonstrate plain and important 
facts, "not in words that man's wisdom diviseth, but in the 
words which the Holy Ghost teacheth." The mission of the 
Apostle was called in question on this very ground, and others 
who gratified their depraved tastes for luxury of speech and 
thought, preferred, though they were false teachers, strangers 
and hirelings, who by fair speeches deceived the people ! May 
God deliver the church from a " learned ministry," so called !" 

Such were the fastiduousness of these refined people, in re- 
gard to the accomplishments of their public speakers, and so 
pleased were they with the facinations of eloquence and excel- 
lency of speech, that, to them, the unadorned manner of the 
Apostle's discourses was contemptible, and made a subject of 
ridicule and disparagement ! His language was quite too un- 
cultivated to profit them, and with the doctors of divinity, and 
the " learned ministry" of the present day, Paul, the true Em- 
bassador of God, would be denounced as utterly unfit to instruct 
a learned and polite audience, on the mysterious subject of that 
intricate, dark, and incomprehensible system, called the Gospel 
of Christ I ! But Paul, the Apostle, was a soldier of the cross, 
and, like the captain of our salvation, he rejected all fellowship 
with the god of this world ; he would use none of his weapons, 
none of his arts, or policy, or allurements, whether of learning, 
eloquence, enticing words, fair speeches, or money. Right- 
eousness or obedience, was his breastplate ; faith, his shield ; 
the word of God, his sword ; and for an helmet, the hope of 
salvation; and his feet shod with a readiness to do and to suffer 
ail the will of God. Such were his weapons. 

But how different, how very different, is the conduct of the 
" stranger and the hireling" — "the wolves in sheep's clothing." 
Their motto is : " Season the dish to suit the palate." The 
people cry, learning, rhetorick, oratory, novelty, and something 
new; "as for this bread from Heaven, it is stale, we loath it;" 
and the hirelings, as the lovers of the dear people, and pander- 
era for their taste, respond, " it is even so ! We have, there- 



122 TREATISE OK CHRISTIANITY. 

fore, filled our memories from the classics, books of divinity, 
standard writers, institutes, commentaries, and from every 
source contained in our beautiful and splendid seminaries, and 
are coming to meet your desires !" But to preserve the name 
of Christian, and to save appearances, they will mix up with 
their oration, a few words from that obscure book called the 
Bible; and he who can best feed the revelings of the imagina- 
tion of his hearers, is the popular preacher, and his services will 
command a good price in the market. 

But what said the Apostle? " As ye have received Christ 
Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him. Rooted and built up in 
Him, and established in the faith as ye have been taught ;" — 
" beware, lest any man spoil you through philosophy, vainly 
so called, after the tradition of men, and not after Christ, ye 
are complete in Him ;" " let the words of Christ dwell in you 
richly in all wisdom." This is the true Christian philosopy 
that maketh wise unto salvation : " Teaching and admonishing 
one another" — "wherefore, brethren, stand fast; hold the tradi- 
tions which ye have been taught, whether by letter or by word," 
Paul would have the disciples to refresh their memories with 
what they had been taught, by reading his Epistles, or hearing 
them read by the Elder, or some brother who could read. This 
was the way to establish themselves in the truth, and to let the 
words of Christ dwell in them richly, abundantly. This was 
the way to prevent them from the delusions of vain philosophy; 
and the opinions of men. — " Now the end of the commandment 
is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of 
faith unfeigned, from which some having swerved, have turned 
aside unto vain jangling, and not according unto the glorious 
gospel committed to my trust." The inevitable consequence of 
leaving the plain letter of the precepts of Christ, is to destroy 
the object of those precepts, which was to promote brotherly 
love, unity of faith, and practical holiness or purity of life, and 
not angry controversy, called by the Apostle " vain jangling," 
empty nonsense ! The Apostle, after directing Timothy ho\9 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 1*23 

and what to teach, and cautioning him to avoid every thing not 
derived from himself, as the Apostle of Christ ; as all beside 
were only fables, and not of authority. He said, " if thou put 
the brethren in mind of these things, thou shaltbe a good minis- 
ter of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith, and of 
good doctrine." And what constituted Timothy a good minis- 
ter of Jesus Christ ? Simply teaching the precepts as taught 
him by Paul, and insisting on their observance by all the mem- 
bers of the church, and suppressing every attempt to introduce 
unauthorized opinions, and all were such not coming from an 
Apostle. To prevent all disputes about observances, and to in- 
sist on practical godliness as the only essential thing. At the end 
of his first letter he said : " 0, Timothy, keep that which is 
committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings." 
How contemptuously the Apostle speaks of those who would 
attempt to aid the Almighty to enlighten his people! To illu- 
mine the sun with their farthing tapers ! 

The Apostle thus commences his second letter to Timothy : 
" Paul, an Apostle of Jesus Christ, by the will of God, to Timo- 
thy my dearly beloved son : When I call to rememberance the 
unfeigned faith in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother 
Lois, and thy mother Eunice, and I am pursuade that in thee 
also." " Hold fast the form of sound words which thou hast 
heard of me. In faith and love which is in Christ Jesus." — 
" and the things which thou hast heard of me, among many wit- 
nesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able 
to teach others also." Whatever others may think, we cannot 
help calling this extreme caution on the part of the Apostle, and 
just such as an honest believer in the truth of Christianity 
would give. One ^vho believed that the salvation of souls de- 
pended upon believing and practicing the veritable precepts of 
Christ. " The form of sound words which thou hast heard of 
me ;" not mend them, not change them for others, for they are 
words of the Holy Ghost's teaching. They are the bread which 
giveth life to the world ; therefore, Timothy, hold fast the very 



1£4 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

form, and the same in form, commit to faithful men — men of 
tried honesty, integrity, and of mature and sound mind, that 
they may be able to teach others the same form of sound words, 
that they may be handed down from one generation to another 
in the same words, and the same form of expression. Men 
should learn from this the danger of meddling with the teach- 
ings of Christ. He would have all men to be His own disciples, 
" His disciples indeed'" for men shall live by every word thai 
proceedeth out of the mouth of God."—" Consider what I say, 
and the Lord give thee understanding in all things. It is a 
faithful saying, for if we are dead with him, we shall also live 
with Him ; if we suffer, we shall also reign with Him ; if we 
deny Him, He will also deny us. Of these things put them in 
rememberance, charging them before the Lord, that they strive 
not about words to no profit, but to the subverting of the hear- 
ers." " This know also, that in the latter days, perilous times 
shall come, for men shall be lovers of their ownselves, covetous, 
boasters, proud, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 
traitors, heady, high minded, lovers of pleasure more than lovers 
of God, having the form of godliness, but denying the power ; 
from such turn away." "Ever learning, and never able to 
come to a knowledge of the truth." The persons here described 
all professed to be religious, and were members of churches, for 
they had the forms of godliness, they wished to be considered 
so, and many even pursuaded themselves that they were so in- 
deed ; for measuring themselves by themselves, or by the prac- 
tices of their fellow professors, and not by the royal standard, 
the only authorized rule ; they deceived themselves and others, 
and they went on, deceiving and being deceived ! And the con- 
sequence was, that the power of godliness was practically de- 
nied. Such a state is, by the Apostle, called perilous times for 
Christianity, and it truly is ; " for if the light that is in you be 
darkness, how great is that darkness !" This is as applicable 
to the church as an organized body of professors, as to indi- 
viduals. God has given His Son to instruct mankind in the 



TEE ATI SE OK CHRIST IANITY. 126 

true and only way to a blissful immortality ; He is, there- 
fore, " the light of the world." Now, if all who profess to em- 
brace and to iollow Christ, " walk in the light, as He is in the 
light, they have fellowship one with another, and the blood of 
God's Son, Jesus Christ, cleanses them from all sin." To 
walk is to act, to go forward, to progress. If, then, all who 
profess to follow Christ, do in reality as He directs and teaches, 
" and purify their hearts by obeying the truth," and exhibiting 
in their lives the fruits of the spirit — " denying themselves of 
all ungodliness, all worldly lusts, and live soberly, godly, and 
righteously in this world," then it is that they " walk in the 
light, as he is in the light." All believers then, live in love, 
peace, and harmony among themselves, and they succeed their 
Lord as the "lights of the world." This is what Paul calls 
the " power of godliness," and the " power of the gospel." — 
Christ said, " others seeing your good works, may glorify your 
Father who is in Heaven ;" but if, on the contrary, men will, 
nevertheless, persist in their professions of being the folio were 
of Christ, and yet neglect to conform their conduct to His pre- 
cepts, and to " purify themselves as He is pure," then the light 
that is in them by profession, and which should make them lu- 
minaries to all around them, becomes darkness, deceptuous, and 
cause of stumbling to all about them! Thus, that which should 
give out light becomes itself darkness, and how great is tl at 
darkness ! This is what Paul calls the " form of godliness ;" 
from such he commands Timothy to "turn away" — have no 
fellowship with then: — they are the greatest enemies to Christ 
and to Christianity, as they turn that into darkness, and make 
it a cause of stumbling into perdition, which God designed to 
enlighten the pathway of mankind to a glorious eternity! Such 
a condition of the professing world, is truly " perilous times." 
N^w, if the *un, which God has placed in the Heavens, to shed 
light on this world, to enable men to pursue the duties of life 
safely, should itself become darkness, what an awful condition 
the world of mankind would be in ! It would be unsafe — yea, 



126 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

impossible to pursue the business of life ! Such is the condi- 
tion of the moral and religious world, when the form of godli- 
ness supercedes the power thereof! Therefore, "let all who 
name the name of Christ, depart from all iniquity," and " it 
they put on Christ at all, so must they- walk in Him." U I 
would," said Christ, " that ye were hot or cold, but because ye 
are lukewarm, I will spew thee out of my mouth ? " Does not 
this clearly shew that a profession of Christianity is not to be 
trifled with ? But that it calls for much reflection, and measur- 
ing of strength with our adversaries, before we put on Christ? 
So the Son of God advises. 

But, continues Paul to Timothy, " thou hast fully known 'my 
doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, long suffering, charity, 
patience, persecutions, afflictions; but out of them all the Lord 
delivered me — yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus 
shall suffer persecution" — that is, all who will obey God, as 
taught by Christ — " but evil men and seducers shall wax worse 
and worse, deceiving, and being deceived." And how was 
Timothy to preserve himself from the deceptions of Satin, when 
he came even as an C( angel of light?" especially after Paul's 
death ; for he was no Apostle, no inspired man, no messenger of 
God's immediate selection, any more than any other believer, 
Timothy was only an agent of the Apostle, selected by him for 
his sterling worth, knowledge of the Jewish scriptures, and his 
attachment to ihe cause of Christ, whom he cordially embraced 
as (hat Prophet of whom Moses wrote, and u the Christ" or 
Messiah, spoken of by the Prophets. The Apostle tells him 
where his only security lay ; "but continue thou in the things 
which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of 
wham thou hast learned them." Now, what did Timothy, or 
what can any honest man understand by this caution ? But that 
in order to avoid the many erroneous opinions that men would 
from various causes introduce, concerning Chris: ian doctrines, 
and what constituted a Christian, and thus deceive many, and 
draw away disciples after them, he must adhere strictly to what 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 127 

ke had been taught by Paul, knowing as he did, on the testi- 
mony of miracles, that Paul was, in very deed, an Apostle of 
Jesus Christ — a messenger from God. " Hold fast the very 
form of His words/' Here was Timothy's only security against 
the deceptions of men — for many errors would be introduced 
under the most plausible pretences imaginable, containing so 
much of truth or seeming truth, as to be apparently admirably 
calculated to promote religion and the extension of the gospel, 
so much so, that, if it were possible, the very elect of God would 
be deceived! Such then is the counsel of an Ambassador of 
God, to all who would be the disciples of Christ, and be made 
partakers of the benefits of His atonement and His glory ; for it 
is on the condition of believers, walking in the light as He is in 
the light, and having union among themselves, that the blood of 
Christ cleanses them from all sin. Mark this well. And it is 
also, " a faithful saying, if we be dead with Him to the spirit of 
the world, we shall also live with Him ; and if we deny Him in 
spirit and practice, He will also deny us." " I charge thee, 
therefore, before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall 
judge the quick and the dead at His appearing, and His king- 
dom, preach the word, (as received of me ;) be instant in 
season and out of season, (use extraordinary efforts to prevent 
error from entering the church ;) reprove, exhort, with all long 
suffering and doctrine, for the time will come when they will 
not (with your utmost efforts to prevent it,) endure sound doc- 
trine, (obedience to Christ only;) but after their own desires 
shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears, and 
they shall turn their ears from the truth, and be turned unto 
fables." By fables are meant all teachings not coming from 
Christ, through an Apostle; "but watch thou in all things, 
(and do your duty faithfully;) endure afflictions ; do the work of 
an Evangilist; make full proof of thy ministry, for I am ready 
to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand ; I have 
fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the 
faith, henceforth there : .o laid up for me a crown of righteous- 



128 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

ness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give ine at that 
day ; and not to me only, but unto all them that love His ap- 
pearing." On another occasion, in the Apostle's first letter to 
Timothy, he said : " Be thou an example to believers, in word, 
in conversation, in charity, in faith, in purity." And after enu- 
merating a long catalogue of moral and relative duties, that ha 
must insist that all believers should strictly observe, as an in- 
dispensable part of Christianity, he said : " If any man teach 
otherwise and consent not to wholesome doctrine, even the words 
of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is proud, knowing nothing, but 
doating about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh 
envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, disputings of men of cor- 
rupt minds, and destittue of the truth, supposing that gain is 
godliness." Is not this a true picture of the present state of 
the professing world ? Are they not doating about questions of 
theology, and striving about words and forms of government, 
and orders of ministers and such like sickly trifles ? And is not 
the consequence of all this strife, railings, evil surmisings, envy, 
and such like works of darkness ? Does these things promo'e 
the kingdom of God ? Is this godliness ? And when these 
divine disputes have induced men to subscribe to their opinions, 
they vainly think that godliness has made an acquisition, and 
Christianity advanced ! What self-deception and delusion is 
this! Again, such persons draw favorable conclusions of the 
advance of Christianity, when by great exertions and the em- 
ployment of every art, and by exausting every expedient that 
sectarian zeal and ingenuity can devise, to " get up a revival," 
if they can succeed in pursuading persons to unite themselves 
to their party ; and, also, when the people liberally support the 
preachers, and all their schemes for the advancement of their 
sect, or as it is in sectarian phrase, " our zion." This they 
call zeal for God ; and this is " supposing gain to be godliness." 
" From such," said the Apostle to Timothy, " turn away ; but 
thou, man of God, flee these things," and instead of these 
contentions and strife about words, and doating about que-s- 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 129 

lions, " follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, meek- 
ness, patience ; fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal 
life, whereunto thou art called, and hath professed a good pro- 
fession before many witnesses. I give the charge before God, 
who quickeneth the dead, and before Christ Jesus, who, before 
Pontius Pilate, witnessed a good confession, that thou keep this 
commandment without spot, unrebukable, until the appearing of 
our Lord Jesus Christ." What earnestness ! 

The holy Apostle now writes to Titus, who occupied the same 
relation to him and to the church, as Timothy did — that is. &n 
agent, acting implicitly under the Apostle'* s instructions. He 
thus charges him : "For there are many unruly and vain talk- 
ers and deceivers, especially they of the circumcission, whose 
mouths must be stopped." The Jewish converts were not the 
only ones that troubled the church by insisting that the Gentiles 
should be circumcised, and that without it they could not be 
saved — only they were the most numerous; but there were many 
others. All the converts were made such from other religious 
systems, and some from the schools of the different sects of 
philosophers ; these all brought with them their various preju- 
dices. The object and the great difficulty with the Apostles 
was, to induce them to renounce all their former opinions and 
creeds, and enter the church as the scholars of Jesus Christ, and 
from Him alone to learn every thing irom a to z of religious 
doctrine and practice. He would have them to know that none 
of their former acquirements, however highly they might esteem 
them, could aid them anything in acquiring a knowledge of 
Christianity ; but, on the contrary, those opinions would greatly 
retard their christian progress. That there could not possibly 
be any compromise, but to the believers it must be Christ and 
Him only. They must renounce all others as fabulous, and 
learn of Christ and follow His instructions implicitly or not at 
all, and if they would persist in their course, and were not will- 
ing to make this sacrifice, they must abandon Christianity alto- 
gether. rt Their mouths must be stopped," for they subvert 



130 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for " filthy 
lucre sake" " The love of money," said Paul, " is the root of 
all evil;" " these persons profess to know God, but in works 
deny Him ;" " but speak thou the things which become sound 
doctrine." And, pray, what does an inspired Apostle call sound 
doctrine? Hear it, ye vain talkers, who rend the church asun- 
der with your "strife of words," and " doating about ques- 
tions" as an invalid nurses his surfeited body, or a miser hi3 
gams; and how many do it too for "filthy lucre," God knoweth! 
Such is not sound doctrine, nor words hy which men may be 
saved. But, said the Apostle, insist " that the aged men be 
sober, grave, temperate, sound in the faith, in charity, in 
patience ; the aged women, likewise, that they be in behaviour 
as becoraeth holiness, not false accusers, not given to much 
wine, teachers of good things, that they may teach the young 
women to be sober, to love their own husbands, to love their 
children, to be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient 
to their own husbands, that the word ot God be not blamed ; 
young men, likewise, exhort to be sober minded. In all things 
shewing thyself a pattern of good works ; in doctrine, shewing 
uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity, sound speech that cannot be 
condemned, that they who are of the contrary part may be 
ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you ; exhort servants 
to be obedient to their masters, and to please them in all things, 
not answering again, not purloining, but shewing all gocd 
fidelity, that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in 
all things, for the grace of God, that bringeth salvation, hath 
appeared to all men, teaching us that denying all ungodfaiess 
and worldly lasts, we should live godly, soberly, and righteous- 
ly in this present world, looking for that blessed hope, and the 
glorious appearing of the great God and our Savour Jesus 
Christ, who gave Himself for us, that he might redeem us from 
all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous 
of good works. These things speak and exhort with all authori- 
ty : let no man dispise thee." 



T&EATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 131 

These instructions of the Apostle are in perfect harmony with 
all the teachings of himself, with Christ, and with his brother 
Apostles, with Moses and the Prophets ; and they all insist, as 
with one voice, (and all are the voice of one God,) on obedi- 
ence to the laws or precepts of God, whether spoken by Moses 
or His Son, Jesus Christ, as a condition of salvation, and that 
too in so plain and in such positive language, that no man who 
learns of God, and is indeed the disciple of Christ, can misap* 
prehend. The whole stress of church discipline is laid on obe- 
dience to the precepts of Christ — on moral duties! Timothy 
and Titus are commanded, in a manner the most awfully im- 
pressive, to permit none to remain in the church who did not 
strictly obey the moral precepts of Christ, as without it there 
was no salvation! Where are the men with the bible in iheir 
hands, that will venture to dispute it ? " These are sound doc- 
trines, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ" — doctrines 
that cannot be " gainsayed," only by satan, the enemy of God, 
of man, and of truth — " doctrines that commend themselves to 
every man's own conscience in the sight of God," if they have 
not been seared as with an hot iron, or hardened through the 
deceitfulness of sin ; or perverted by the traditions and the com- 
mandments of men, and even many of these are compelled to 
admit them, on account of their reasonableness, though con- 
trary to the traditions received from their fathers ! They are 
doctrines that will, if insisted upon as commanded by the 
Apostle, redown more to the glory of God, the honor of Christ, 
the increase of His kingdom of righteousness and peace — to 
the good of mankind, the peace of the world, the purity and 
iight of the church, and the salvation of immortal souls, than 
all the cc doating about questions," and u the strife of words," 
that have been agitated, and so fiercely and so wickedly con- 
tended for, since the commencement of Christianity ! ! And, 
moreover, all these benefits may be obtained, and all this vast 
amount of good secured without philosophy or any of the wis- 
dom of the world, without erudation, logic, eloquence, <: excel- 



132 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

lency of speech," theological seminaries, books of divinity, re- 
ligious romances, whether from the press or pulpit — or without 
splendid cathedrals, costly churches, and even without a not 
less costly, learned, or unlearned clergy ! Yea, all may be ob- 
tained " without money and without price \ n 

Whilst the evils arising from the delusions occasioned by 
these " questions of strife," are beyond calculation, eternity 
only can disclose them ! And these evils have cost treasures 
beyond imagination, and they continue to cost millions anually ! ! 

Such is the wisdom of this world, contrasted with the wis- 
dom oi God ! The former is very foolishness. The one, with 
a vast array of means, accomplishes nothing! — yea, worse than 
nothing, for they destroy that which they profess to build up ! ! 
Whilst the other, proposes the most simple means, and they 
easily obtained, to accomplish the happiness of the world, and 
to fill Heaven with purified and redeemed immortal spirits ! I — 
Let all men, every where, hear it : " If a man keep my sayings 
he shall never see death ;" " he that keepeth my commandments, 
he it is that loveth me, and he shall be loved of my Father, and 
me toill come and make our abode with Him" — Christ. 

From the whole testimony of revelation the following con- 
clusions are irresistable : 

First — That Christ, as the revealer of the will and purposes 
of God, occupies the same relation to the world that Moses did 
to the Jews. 

Second — As it was essentially necessary for men to become 
the disciples of Moses, to learn and to obey his precepts, in order 
to secure the blessings promised in the old covenant, even so is 
it essential that men must become the disciples of the Son of 
God, to learn and to obey His precepts, in order to secure the 
blessings promised in the new covenant. 

Third — Seeing that the Jews, by not adhering strictly as com- 
manded by God, to the precepts of Moses, as contained in his 
writings, but suffered themselves to be drawn off by learned 
men, who assumed to expound the writings of Moses, and were 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 133 

by that means grossly deceived and led into errors, that brought 
upon them the displeasure of God, and terminated in the rejec- 
tion of their Messiah, and their total ruin. 

Even so, the christian's only safety lies in avoiding that mis- 
chievous and ruinous error of the Jews, by adhering strictly to 
the written precepts of Christ, and not to permit themselves to 
be drawn aside under any pretence whatever, how plausible so- 
ever that pretext may be; not even if these expositors should 
have the appearances and the abilities of angels from Heaven ! 

Fourth — That this extent of caution, and more, is plainly and 
positively given to disciples by the Lord Jesus Christ himself, 
and by all His Apostles, 

Fifth — That no man is a christian (but deceiveth himself) who 
is not a " disciple indeed," and such only can " know the truth 
as it is in Jesus." But all such are christians in the estima- 
tion of God, and of His Son Jesus Christ — the fabulus dogmas 
of learned theolgians to the contrary, notwithstanding. 

If these positions be not sustained by the testimony of Christ 
and His Apostles, then Christ is not the " light of the world," 
and mankind are still left to stumble on in the dark, guided by 
the uncertain, unsteady, ever changing and contradictory sys- 
tems, based on the opinions and fables of interested men, and 
hope has no anchor ! 



PART THE THIRD. 



Shewing that a Christian Church is simply an assembly of the Disciple* of 
Christ, associated in His only name, to be instructed by Him, and to worship 
God as by Him d irected. 



The impartial observer, in taking a survey of tire professed 
christian world, is astonished to see the number and the va- 
riety of institutions, called u christian churches." Moreover, 
ail these institutions have a distinct " bond of union," under 
which they associate. This " bond of union" must, conse* 
quently, be considered by them as containing a " vital" princi- 
ple of Christianity, and which is not possessed by any of th e 
others. This " vital" principle then, must constitute each the 
" christian church." The conclusion is, that all the rest are 
heretics. True, they are not willing, theoretically, to admit 
this conclusion ; but the very fact of their existence sustains it, 
for, on no other principle can their separate organizations and 
their known hostility to each other be justified, in reason or by 
revelation. 

Not only so, but their works demonstrate a deadly hostility 
of one against all the rest, and of all against the one ; so that 
from their own shewing, they are all heretics ! Not a solitary 
sect now in existence, but have been at their commencement 
denounced as heretics — as corruptors of the gospel, and ene- 
mies of Christianity, by those previously existing; and every 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 135 

means and artifice, that envy and malice could invent, have 
been employed by each to crush the other ! This fact is no- 
torious, and this open hostility has never ceased, until the party 
opposed had obtained sufficient strength to defend itself by 
popular opinion, and even then their batteries were only masked; 
for, when circumstances occurred, as they sometimes do, to 
raise the flimsy covering, the engines of destruction are seen, 
ready mounted, and prepared to belch forth their thunders, and 
to scatter their missiles of destruction against each other. 

But what is this " vital" principle, which each separate insti- 
tution claims for itself, and which unites them as distinct asso- 
ciations, and which serves as a bond of fellowship and union ? 
Is it faith in Christ ? That cannot be, for there is but one 
Christ, and He is not divided ! But the " vitality" of every 
one of them is the exposition which some prominent man has 
been pleased to give to the teachings of Christ ! This is the 
foundation on which each of their various organizations rest, and 
around which they rally. These men are the suns of each sys- 
tem; the centre of attraction, around whom all their satelites re- 
volve ! Now, that these churches are not builded on faith in 
Christ exclusively, as the only foundation, can be demonstrated; 
for, if these men had never existed, and their expositions had 
never been heard of, still, Christianity would have remained the 
same that it ever was. But destroy these expositions, and all 
their " distinctive vitality" vanish with them ! But Christianity 
still exists. They are, therefore, no part of Christianity. And 
yet again, Christianity and the christian church existed before 
they had any being at all, then neither Christianity or the chris- 
tian church are in any way dependent on them. This being so, 
and it cannot be denied, for if it be not so, then we must con- 
clude that before the organization of these institutions, there 
was no Christianity ! But it being so, demonstrates that they 
are not " christian churches ;" for both Christ and the Apostles 
tell us that she is founded on faith in Christ exclusively, and 
that no man can lay any other foundation. So long, therefore, 



136 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

as faith in Christ exists, though all the peculiar expositions on 
which sectarian institutions are founded, be annihilated and to- 
tally extinguished, yet Christianity will remain. So that faith 
in Christ, is, in no manner whatever, connected with any of 
those churches. A christian, therefore, is something entirely 
distinct from any and from all of them. The "christian church" 
can only cease to be when faith in Christ is no more. Christ 
is her foundation, and faith in Him is her vital principle. He 
is her sun, her centre of attraction, around whom every member 
revolves. Christ is to His church what the Pope, Luther, Cal- 
vin, Cranmer, Wesly, and a hundred others are to their churches. 
He is her bond of fellowship and of union ; her source of dis- 
tinctive vitality and being. 

Who is a Papist ? One who believes in the Pope's exposi- 
tions of the scriptures, and is baptized into obedience thereto, — 
Who is a Lutheran ? He that believes in Luther's expositions 
of the scriptures, and is baptized into obedience thereto. Who 
is a Calvinist? He that believes in Calvin's expositions of th« 
scriptures, and is baptized into obedience thereto. Who is a 
Weslyan Methodist ? He that believes in the expositions of 
the scriptures by John Wesly, and in the divine right of the 
Clergy to govern them, and are baptized into obedience thereto — 
and so of all the rest. What is a Papel Church ? An associa- 
tion of Papists, who worship God as directed by the Pope, — 
What is a Lutheran church? An association of Lutherans, who 
worship God as directed by Martin Luther. What is a Cal- 
vinistic church? A company of Calvinists, who worship God 
as directed by John Calvin — and so of all other sects. 

But who is a christian ? He is one who believes in the 
teachings of Jesus Christ, and is baptized into obedience thereto. 
What is a christian church ? An association of christians, who 
worship God as directed by Christ. 

The former bear the very same relation to Christ, and to the 
christian church, that the Scribes, Pharisees, and other sects 
among the Jews, did to Moses and the Jewish church. They 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 137 

were the followers of the learned expounders of the law, as these 
are the followers of the learned expounders of the gospel. — 
Their positions form a perfect parallel. We know the judg- 
ment passed on them by Christ. They taught for doctrines, 
the commandments of men, and by that means had made God's 
commandments of no effect, and the people were no longer the 
disciples of Moses. We may be assured, therefore, that tha 
same judgment rests on the devoted heads of all such sec- 
tarians in Christendom. It was in special reference to the ex- 
pounders of the law, that Christ so pointedly charged His dis- 
ciples : " Be ye not called master, or Rabbi, for one is your 
master, even Christ, and all ye are brethren." A more plain 
and positive precept than this, is not to be found in all revela- 
tion ; and yet it is as much disregarded as if it was not there ! 
Murder, adultery, or theft, are not more plainly forbidden, than 
is the crime of any one disciple dictating to another, called by 
an Apostle " lording it over God's heritage ;" and notwith- 
standing all this, hundreds of associations, assuming to be 
"christian churches," are founded and owe their very being on 
the violation of this plain, positive and unmistakable precept of 
the Lord Jesus Christ ! 

The term " church" has no reference whatever to Christiani- 
ty. The Greek word, which, in the English version of the 
scriptures, is translated church, is " eclesia," and simply means 
an assembly of persons for any purpose whatever. The pur- 
pose for which they convened stamped on the assembly its true 
character. If they convened to consult on trade or trafic, it 
was a commercial "eclesia;" if to make laws, a legislative 
"eclesia." Hence the town meeting called together by Deme- 
tnous, the silversmith, composed of his fellow craftsmen, is, by 
the Apostle, called an " eclesia" — The very same word, else- 
where translated "church." It may, therefore, as well be an 
eclesia of shrine makers, of merchants, or even of thieves, as of 
christians, Papists, Lutherans, Calvinists, &c; so that there is 
not a single trait of Christianity in the term " church." Now, 



138 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

we do not object to those " learned rabbins and masters" call- 
ing the assemblies of their disciples " churches," for they are 
churches, and their names tell plainly whose churches they are, 
and for what purpose they convene also. Our business is to 
undeceive the people, who suppose them to be " christian 
churches." There is a good quantity of counterfeit coin that 
bears the name of the genuine, and are passed as such on the 
unsuspecting, and it is only by comparing the spurious with the 
" legal standard," that they are detected. Unfortunately for 
mankind, though the crime of making spurious "christian 
churches," is infinitely greater than making spurious money, yet 
the change of detection is more difficult; not because the legal 
standard is not at hand, but because the makers of churches have 
induced the credulous people to believe, that the legal marks of 
the " christian church," are enveloped in mystery, and that it 
is reserved for them to discover what they are ! And as there 
are no earthly tribunals that can bring them to an account for 
their conduct, they can conduct their business with impunity, 
and so flood the world with counterfeits of their own making, 
as to supercede the genuine altogether ! The sects are like so 
many petty sovereignties, each coinage passes current in its own 
dominion, but rejected by its neighbor ! But there is an all- 
seeing and a sleepless judge, that will, without fail, render to 
every man according to his works ; and the sentence of con- 
demnation is already pronounced on all such as assume to be 
" master" over the disciples of Christ, in these words : "They 
that exalt themselves shall be abased." This sentence of con- 
densation is pointed at " masters'' and rabbins in the christian 
dispensation, and this punishment must refer to ^future world, 
because it is the reverse in this world ; for by such the upper- 
most seats in the synagogue have been always claimed and 
awarded too, and they are called of men " Rabbi, Rabbi," and 
are greeted as such every where. It should be generally known 
if it is not, that the terms " master" and " Rabbi" with the 
Jews, were precisely what are understood by us as "learned 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 139 

teachers" of religion, doctors of divinity, and the clergy in gen- 
eral — men who made a business of studying the law of Moses 
to teach others, and who moulded the faith of the Jews agreea- 
ble to their expositions of that law, as our clergy are now doing 
and have ever since the latter part of the 2d century ! But this 
sentence is passed : "They shall be abased." And again in 
these words : "Verily I say unto you, it had been better for 
that man never to have been born, or that a mill stone was 
hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than to offend 
one of these litle ones that believe on me" — 'meaning, thereby, 
one of my weakest disciples; " for whosoever shall humble 
themselves shall be exalted." All this refers to the judgment 
of God, for men do not so judge. They trample on and de- 
spise the humble. But God will exalt the lowly in heart, the 
faithful disciples of His Son, to glory and immortality; whilst 
the haughty Rabbi shall be abased in the presence of saints and 
angels, and presumptuous prelates also. 

But Christ's " eclesia," who are they, and what are her dis- 
tinguishing traits ? They who compose the church of Christ, 
are exclusively his disciples. It is, on this account, called "the 
christian church" — the assembly of Christ's disciples. Take 
this fact from the assembly, and all the sacred awe, all the 
hallowed feelings, all the potency and claims attached to the 
term " church," are gone, and there is left a simple assembly 
of men! Affix the Pope to it, and you have a Papal church ; 
Luther, and you have a Lutheran church ; Miller, and you have 
an assembly of Millerites ; Joe Smith, with his Mormon expo- 
sitions ot the scriptures, and it is a Mormon eclesia. But if 
you want a christian church, be careful that no other " master" 
beside Christ be there; no other rule, no other control, and no 
other teachings. He will have no partner on His throne. — 
" His honor He will not give to another." Add Christ to any 
of the above " masters," and you will have a semi-christian 
church. This last is, in all fairness and candor, the very best 
that can be said of any of the systems now in existance. 



140 TREATISE OK CHRISTIANITY, 

All bodies are composed of homogeneous particles ; remove 
one of them and substitute one foreign to it, and you destroy its 
identity, and it is no longer the same body. So, to add the 
opinions of learned or unlearned men to the words of the Holy 
Ghost, or the authority of uninspired men into the church of 
Chnst, and her identity is completely destroyed, and she is no 
longer, the christian church, but a semi-christian church; and 
those who do it are guilty of debasing the royal standard of truth, 
adulterating the word of God — counterfeiting the currency of 
Heaven ! Is there no crime in all this ? That truth, to pro- 
claim which, Christ was born and came into the world ; and to 
defend and sustain it, He suffered, died, rose again, ascended 
into Heaven, and shed forth the Holy Ghost on His Apostles ! 
That truth, obodience to which, alone can sanctify the soul of 
man, and prepare it for the society of the pure in Heaven ! Is 
it not so, that men are saved through obedience to the truth 7 — 
Is there no meaning in the words of Christ when He prayed 
thus : " Sanctify them through thy truth ; thy word is truth V* 
Is it no crime to mingle the vain imaginings of interested and 
sinful men with that word, so as to make it utter hundreds of 
discordant and confused sounds? No crime in all this? Think 
you so, my lord Rabbi ? We think the crime is beyond human 
estimate ! Is it esteemed a great crime to adulterate the cur- 
rency of the country below the legal standard, the only effect of 
which is to diminish a little, a man's property, and to bring the 
legal currency into discredit ? This is bad enough ; but what 
is such a crime when compared with that of adulterating the 
truth of God, on the purity of which is suspended the eternal 
happiness or misery of millions of immortal spirits ? " For 
what will it profit a man if he should gain the whole world and 
lose his soul, or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?" 
As great as this crime is in the judgment of God, and so 
plainly as it is declared to be so in His word, yet men continue 
to perpetrate it daily ! Yea, from this crime, this unspeakable 
crime, they derive all their living, and all their honors ! What 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 141 

an awful infatuation is this! Is the truth of the gospel nothing? 
Will the doctrines of men do as well ? Are those famous "mas- 
ters," " who are drawing away disciples after them," better 
teachers than Christ ? Or are their expositions more worthy of 
confidence than are the teachings of Christ and of His Apostles? 
So say millions of persons, calling themselves christians, (for 
all sects practically say so,) and so said the Jews of their Rab- 
bins. But say you, we are Christ's disciples, we trust only 
in Him, and you charge us wrongfully ; we are in bondage to 
no man. The Jews said all this, and they as firmly believed 
that they were the disciples of Moses, and that they trusted 
only in him, as you possibly can persuade yourselves that yoa 
are the disciples of Christ, and that you trust in Him, and Him 
only ! We cannot conceive of any difference between the two 
conditions, and we must conclude that the same God has al- 
ready passed the same judgment on both. Both are productive 
of the same fruits, such as divisions, disputings, contentions, 
debatings, envyings and jealousies; hatreds to the neglect of 
.moral duties, and to the destruction of the fruits of the spirit, 
which are love and harmonious union, and they both proceed 
from the same cause, "masters" and "expounders" — men 
" lording it over God's heritage," from treason and rebellion 
against Christ. 

Why will men not open their eyes to this fatal delusion of 
satan ? Is the Son of God not a competent teacher ? Is it so 
that all men cannot become personally and immediately His 
disciples ? Must they hear His instructions through expoun- 
ders and interpreters, and when, too, the effects of that method 
is seen to be so destructive to true Christianity, by banishing all 
assurance of truth from the earth? "If," said Christ, " ye con- 
tinue in my words , then are ye my disciples indeed, and ye shall 
know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." 

This intention of Christ, that every believer should be His 
disciple, personally and exclusively, is, by these expounders 
and makers of religious systems, as the basis of union and fel- 



142 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

lowship, rendered utterly impossible. How can a man con- 
tinue in the words of Christ, whilst he permits his judgment to 
be warped by the opinions of others ? Are all the various and 
discordant sects continuing in the words of the Son of God ? 
No man in his right mind will say so. To give even a show of 
reason to such a judgment, would be to place the .words of 
Christ on a par with the dubious and doubtful meaning of the 
responses of the Heathen oracles. These were interpreted by 
the Priests of the Gods as best suited their purposes, and to 
such a condition has the plain teachings of Christ been brought 
by church makers, to the disgrace of Christianity, the destruc- 
tion of souls, and the joy of devils ! By this means the "light" 
which God has placed in the world, is made darkness, and how 
great is that darkness ! What uncertainty is thus made to rest 
on the infallible word of God. Men cannot help seeing this, 
and yet they continue in the same course, stumbling on and 
jostling against each other, as they progress in their cross and 
ever changing paths ; with their leaders and " masters" in - 
front, each displaying his own standard of truth, saying, this i^ 
the way, walk ye in it ; and each of whom have been in their 
turns branded by the others as false teachers, liars, corruptors 
of the gospel, and heretics ! Their followers must know all 
this, and still they will go forward, pleased with, and feeling 
secure in their " strong delusions." In vain the Son of God 
proclaims in their midst, " I am the light of the world, if any 
man will follow me, he shall not walk in darkness, but slwll have 
the light of life ;" " If ye continue in my words, then are ye my 
disciples indeed, and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall 
make you free ;" " He that keepeth my commandments, he it is 
that loveth me, and he shall be loved of my Father." In vain 
God proclaims from Heaven, " This is my beloved Son, in 
whom I am well pleased, hear Him;" and the declaration of 
the Apostle, " Ye are complete in Him," and "Every thought 
must be brought into obedience to Christ." All this, and a 
thousand more of advice, commands and cautions, appear to 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 143 

avail nothing ! Men will hug their pleasing delusions, and 
the arts of satan, and the interests of men unite to strengthen 
thena. 

But however much men may continue to deceive themselves, 
or permit others to deceive them, yet if the voice of Christ, or 
of His holy Apostles, be of any authority at all it remains a 
truth, founded on that authority, that " the christian church" is 
composed exclusively of the disciples of Christ, and none are 
such but those who learn of Him, "continue in His words." — 
The following is an infallible definition of a christian church : 
" Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there 
am I in the midst of them." Is not this within the comprehen- 
sion of all men ? An assembly of Christ's disciples, convened 
in His name, and acting under His exclusive control in all 
things, is a christian " eclesia;" annex any other name implying 
authority, and it is a semi-christian "eclesia" or assembly. — 
With this definition as given by Christ, and with no other, can 
the remaining attributes of the "christian church" harmonize, 
but with it all is plain, all the rest follows of necessity, these are 
unity, indivisibility and infalibility. All these are certainly indis- 
pensible characteristics of a "christian church," if revelation was 
not written to deceive the world. This we will make evident 
from the plain and comprehensive words of that revelation — by 
words that cannot be misunderstood even by the plainest intellect 
— by words that will require a great deal of school divinity, and 
of the logic of Aristotle, to wrest from their true meaning, and to 
make even to countenance, in the remotest degree, the semi- 
christian organization of the world. 

But if, nevertheless, men will continue to close their eyes 
from seeing, and their ears from hearing the warnings, the ad- 
monitions, and the instructions of Christ and of His holy Apns- 
tles, and will persist to heap up to themselves teachers, because 
of their itching ears, yet that cannot change the word or the de- 
termination of Cud, in relation to His church; but it does, so far 
as men are concerned, and to the great hazard of their salva- 



144 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

tion, change the " truth of God into a lie !" 0, what an ac- 
count these self-assuming ambassadors of Christ will be com- 
pelled to render, when the day of retribution shall come ! Men 
may impose on themselves and on their fellow-men — they may 
permit their hearts and their interest to deceive and to blind ths 
eyes of their understanding, " and thus prevent the light of the 
glorious gospel of Christ from shining in unto them," yet God 
cannot be deceived. The silly bird may hide its head, and be- 
cause it refuses to see its danger, and thinks itself secure, yet 
its pursuers have not lost sight of it, and its destruction is non« 
the less certain. So it will be with such persons. God hath 
declared the decree : " This is my beloved Son, in whom I am 
well pleased, hear ye Him!" This decree is addressed to every 
individual person to whom the gospel of the grace of God may 
come. If men will prefer to have their imagination gratified 
by boisterous harangues from sectarian zealots, or to have their 
ears tickled by learned and eloquent discourses on sectarian 
dogmas, the refusing to hear Him who "speaketh from Heaven," 
will, nevertheless, be laid to their charge, and the terrible con- 
sequences will surely be visited in due time upon their heads. 
Behold the simplicity of a purely "christian church" — Christ's 
" eclesia." Two or three humble disciples of the Son of God, 
assembled in His only name, to offer unto God, the father of 
all spirits, the heart's adorations, as taught by His " well be- 
loved Son" — unconnected with the wisdom of men, the display 
of eloquence or the pomp of the world ! No lordly Priest to 
interpret His word, and to make His simple and significant or- 
dinances valid and available ! No mitred Prelate to " lord it 
over God's heritage," but a small company of contrite hearts, 
bowing with submissive reverence and confiding hope to the 
word of God, will bring Christ in iheir midst ! Such an as- 
sembly, if composed of day laborers and fishermen, under a 
straw thatched roof, is, in the estimation of God, more precious 
than are assembled crowds in splendid and gorgeous cathedrals, 
for Christ does not teach and reign there; but some learned 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 145 

&nd effeminate Rabbin has usurped the master's place. The 
Pope, Luther, Calvin, Fox, Wesly, or some other sectarian 
leader, is dictating terms of salvation to the people ! 

Like all God's works, the christian church is great in her 
simplicity ! The infinite wisdom of God accomplishes won- 
derful things with the most simple means, such as is, and ever 
has been by the world, deemed foolishness ! So, by the simple 
assemblies of the disciples of Christ, under one authorized 
teacher, and, therefore, infallible. He designed to secure the 
unity and the infallibility of His church, and to make her the 
representative and successor of His Son through all time — the 
" light of the world" — a refuge from lies for all nations — "the 
pillar and the ground of truth." Such is a christian church as 
the work of God. 



A FEW PASSING REMARKS ON CHRISTIAN WOR- 
SHIP. 

The term worship implies, to honor and reverence. Now 
Christ said, " they that worship God must worship Him in 
spirit and in truth, for the Father seeketh such to worship 
Him." Of consequence, no other worship can be acceptable 
to Him. No man can honor and reverence that which he does 
not love, esteem and venerate, and this he cannot do unless he 
is in possession of a correct knowledge of the being so vene- 
rated, unless he " worships he knows not what," as did many 
in the days of Christ, and yet they verily believed they were 
worshiping the true God! All rational worship, then, must be 
founded in love of the being who is honored and reverenced, 
conformable to a true knowledge of that being. The declara- 
tion of the Son of God amounts to this: We must know God in 

J 



146 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

His trite nature and attributes, and this is, to "worship Him in 
truth ;" and ; secondly — so knowing God, we are to love, honor 
and adore Him from the heart, and this is to " worship God in 
spirit." We may assure ourselves therefore, that all which as- 
sumes the name of worship, not having these two qualities, are 
vain show, and an abomination to the Most High ! " No man 
having seen God at any time," then no man can know cr love 
Him ; and, therefore, cannot " worship Him in spirit and in 
truth." Bat to supply this defect, and enable mankind to com- 
ply with the will of Heaven, " He who was in the bosom of 
the Father, hath declared Him." It follows, therefore, that in 
order that men may " worship God in spirit and in truth," they 
must become the disciples of Christy and learn of Him exclu- 
sively. There is no other way to avoid this conclusion, than 
to fall back on the absurd dogmas of Popery, and say that God 
has perpstuated an infallible human interpreter of the teach- 
ings of Christ ! This led millions of very religious persons 
into idolatry, by worshiping the Pope as the representative of 
Christ. Martin Luther, a man ot learning and information, 
scrupled not to call him "my lord, the Pope;" but we avoid 
all this absurdity when we affirm, as we do, that Christ only, 
can teach men the true way to God, and this He can do without 
an interpreter. This also agrees with ihe declaration of Jesus, 
" I am ihe way, the truth, and the life ; no man cometh unto 
the Father but by me, and they which cometh to me, I will in 
no wise cast out" — reject or disappoint. 

This is one purpose for which " disciples" associate and 
convene in church capacity, or which is the same thing, assem- 
ble together. Now we would ask, who honors God, and Christ 
his Son and messenger most, they who " assemble in His 
name" only and exclusively, as He directs, or those who associ- 
ate under the name of some human interpreter, and assemble to 
worship God as taught by that interpreter ? This is a fair issue 
between the "disciples indeed" of the Son of God, and all 
sectarians. 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 147 

But, a person who is more fond of disputations than of god- 
liness, may say, why assemble at all ; have you not the scrip- 
tures 10 your houses, which you say contain all the teachings of 
Christ, and can you not learn at home ? We reply to this cavil^ 
that if this were all for which "disciples" met together in the 
name cf Christ, the objection, as flimsy and flippent as it is, 
might have some plausibility. But is it so, that all can read the 
holy scriptures themselves ? The church of Christ— " the 
house ot God. 5 ' is the repository of His teachings, where all 
such should assemble to hear it read, and its duties enforced, 
and its promises urged as motives to obedience, 

But there are other and good reasons for the " assembling of 
disciples together in one place." The Lord's supper is to be 
ken of in "commemoration of His death, until He comes 
again " There mutual sympathies, joys and sorrows, are co- 
mingled. There " disciples hold fellowship one with another, 
and with Jesus Christ, God's beloved Son." There, too, they 
<: confess their faults, and pray for each other, that they may be 
healed, and that the blood of ihe Lord Jesus may cleanse them 
from all sin." There " disciples" (not "masters" or "learned 
divines,") give and receive mutual, earnest and friendly exhor- 
tations, .and sing praises to the Most High and true God, as in- 
structed by His Son, their only Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, 
as said the Apostle and true representative of Christ, " shy- 
ing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, making melody, not 
with their lips only, but in their hearts" also. And again, he 
said, " Forget not the essenibling of yourselves together, as (he 
rairner of some is." Thus it is that "disciples indeed" "meet 
in the exclusive name of Christ," to "worship God in spirit and 
ia truth," as instructed by Him, their one and infallible teacher. 

The manner of the Apostle expressing himself is strongly 
indicative of the fact, that " disciples" had been taught to rely 
exclusively on the naked teachings of the Son of God — " as the 
manner of some is." — From this it is manifest, that "some" had, 
from the frequent and urgent cautions of the Apostles, to avoid 



148 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY, 

all other instructions, thought it unnecessary to assemble to- 
gether for the purpose of receiving instructions. Such, we may 
presume, had a copy of one of the gospels, or had been favored 
with much of the Apostle's personal instructions. Paul corrects 
this error. All who are acquainted with human nature, well 
know the force and necessity of fellowship of kindred minds, 
engaged in an arduous and important enterprise, and such are 
christians. Hence, leaving instructions out of the question, 
still it is imperious that " disciples" frequently assemble to- 
gether, to strengthen each others firm resolves^ by exhortation, 
reproof, caution, advice, mutual sympathies and prayer. Irs 
more ancient times than Christianity itself, <c they that feared 
the Lord spake often one to another, and a book of remember- 
snce was opened;" and God said of such, "I will spare them* 
even as a father spareth his son that serveth him*" 



UNITY, INDIVISIBILITY AND INFALLIBILITY, ARE 
ESSENTIAL ATTRIBUTES OF THE " CHRISTIAN 
CHURCH," AS CONSTITUTED BY GOD. 

First — We shall prove her to be one and indivisible ; yea, we 
will demonstrate it, if indeed Christ and His Apostles have not 
lost all authority in the matter — if they are permitted to speak 
without the tutelage of Rev. Doctors of Divinity. 

How can she be otherwise than one and the same every- 
where, and at all times ? One in doctrine, in practice, and in 
government. She recognises but " one Lord" or teacher, "one 
faith, one baptism" for all are baptised into implicit obedience 
to Christ as their " Prophet, Priest and King;" " one spirit" 
who animates and gives vitality to every disciple of Christ ; 



' 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 149 

iQ one hope of their calling; one God and Father of all, who is 
in all and through them all." Now we confidently ask any 
man of common understanding, if a more perfect oneness in -all 
things can be conceived of? This, then, is the description 
given of the christian church, by Jehovah himself through His 
Apostle. This oneness is, in the wisdom of God, not to be 
effected by believers saying, I am of Paul, I of Apolus, I of 
Cephas, and I of Christ ; such men are " carnal, and walk 
after the flesh and not after the spirit." Now hear the doom 
of all such : "If any man have not the spirit of Christ, he is 
none of His." Again : " To be carnally minded is death." — 
All know that this means worldly minded. Wherever there 
are divisions in any part of the kingdom of Christ, there are also 
heresies, or separations from Christ. There, worldly wisdom has 
been introduced ; there, the "stranger and the hireling" has 
entered "and scattered the sheep;" there, the "wolf in sheep's 
clothing" is prowling, and the sheep of Christ's fold will soon 
be destroyed u and walk as men ;" there, " men are speaking 
perverse things, and drawing away disciples after them," and 
those who permit themselves to be enticed by their charmes are 
no longer the disciples of Christ, and they no longer constitute 
His church. " If ye continue in my words, then are ye my dis- 
ciples indeed." This cannot be too often repeated, or too well 
remembered by all who wish to be christians. It is the pala- 
dium of their salvation ; their only refuge from lies. Such only 
can know the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. 
In no other way can the oneness of the church be preserved. 

But her perfect unity in all things can be perpetuated to the 
end of time, if all believers will " svalk in the light as Christ is 
in the light." On this oneness of believers and of the church, 
is made to depend their personal salvation; for, said the Apos- 
tle, by thus walking, " they have fellowship one with another, 
and the blocd of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, cleanses them 
from all sin." When all believers learn of Christ only, as His 
" disciples indeed," they cannot be otherwise than one, for He 



150 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITT, 

teaches all the same lessons, and they all obey one master, and 
this, of necessity, produces fellowship, and the consequence is 
the blessings of Heaven rest upon them, and " God sends them 
the early and the latter rain. " Behold how good and pleasant 
it is for brethren to dwell together in unity ; it is like the oil 
poured on Aaron's beard, that ran down* to tbe skirts of his gar- 
ments. " It perfumed all, as the unity of disciples and the 
church should perfume the world, and be a sweet smelling 
savor to Christ and to God ; but if otherwise, they corrupt 
themselves, darken the world, and their offerings, like those of 
ancient Isreal, " s-tink in the nostrels of God :" Their profes- 
sion of His name, and their most solemn devotions, are an 
offence to the Supreme Being! God will not acknowledge a 
divided Church. God is one, Chiist is one, and His church 
and people are one. 

So long as believers associate in the exclusive name, and 
obey only the voice of Christ, their one and only teacher, they 
will present to the world the same aspect every where, and at all 
times. It cannot be otherwise, for the word of God changes; 
not with the mutations of men, with the literature and customs 
of the world. The gospel of Christ is precisely the same in all 
its parts and requirements, that it was from the beginning. If, 
therefore, the church presents not to the world one and the same 
aspect, it is clearly manifest that she is not under the instruc- 
tion, guidance, and control, of one unchangeable teacher and 
head. No sophistry can evade this conclusion. 

The position thus presented in relation to the essential 
oneness and indivisibility of the "christian church," js in itself 
so plain and obvious as to need no further proof; but the proofs 
infallible, are so abundant as to require consideration in the se= 
lection, to avoid redundancy, 

The prayer presented to God by Jesus Christ in His official 
character, as " head over all things to the church," contains 
such a clear and palpable exhibition of His mind and purpose in 
relation to His followers and church, as to preclude all contre- 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 151 

versy on the subject of their oneness, and the utter impossibility 
of their existing in a divided state, as distinct, much less as 
contradictory and opposing sects, and at the same time remain 
His church and people ! The thing cannot be. The two 
states are antipodes to each other ! You had as well attempt to 
reconcile discord with harmony, or light with darkness ! In 
view of an attempt to divide the christian church to accord with 
the opinions of any man, the holy and inspired Apostle would 
exclaim, may we not say, with awful forbodings of the destruc- 
tive results, "is Christ divided? Were any of these men cruci- 
fied for you ?" Ye are worldly, and walk after the wisdom'of 
men, and you have denied Christ, for where there are divisions 
there are also heresies ? Is not this the plain tenor of the lan- 
guage of the Holy Ghost ? Can all the learning of the divinity 
schools deny or evade its truth and force ? And yet, the clergy, 
whilst claiming to be the Ambassadors of Christ, teach and 
practice directly to the contrary ! It is egregrous folly, and 
manifests a bold and presumptuous hardihood in them, to at- 
tempt a denial of this ! The facts are before our eyes ; and yet, 
with all the plainness of the language of the Apostle, these manu- 
facturers of religious systems, these church makers, will con- 
tinue to war against God ! With them " gain is godliness," 
for with the increase of their various conflicting and opposing 
divisions, and consequent heresies, they blindly assume that 
godliness is promoted ! ! To such an alarming extent has the 
god of this world succeeded in blinding their minds to the plain 
common sense truths of the gospel of God ! Bribery and cor- 
ruption are inseparably united. Whilst, therefore, men are paid 
— whilst they derive honors and emoluments for supporting, 
sustaining and perpetuating these divisions and heresies, there 
will be no end of them. 

But let us hear what Christ says ; and, Oh ! if His words can- 
not convince — if His voice has lost its charms and potency, 
then indeed "hirelings and strangers" have accomplished the 
demoniac work of destruction. The seducers have made of the 



152 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY, 

" spouse of Christ" an harlot, to pander to their lusts of power 
and emolument I 

The Lord Jesus, a short time before he left this world, and in 
the presence and hearing of His disciples, thus preferred the ar- 
dent desire of His heart and the purpose of His mind to God, 
in relation to His church and people: " And He lifted up His 
eyes to Heaven and said, e Father, the hour is come ; glorify thy 
Son, that thy Son may glorify thee ; as thou hast given Him 
power over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many 
as thou hast given Him. And this is life eternal, that they 
should know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom 
thou hast sent. I have manifested thy name unto the men which 
thou hast given me out of the world, thine they were, and thou 
gavest them to me, and they have kept thy word; lor I have given 
unto them the words which thou gavest me, and they have re- 
ceived them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, 
and they have believed that thou didst send me.' " This faith is 
the foundation of every christian assembly, and of discipleship, 
all over the wide earth ; and to add to or take from it, is heresy. 
Obedience to the precepts of Christ only, as spoken by himself 
and through His Apostles alone, can sanctify and regenerate the 
heart of man, and entitle him to eternal life. Itis their inviola- 
ble adherence to these precepts, so delivered, that separates them 
from the world and constitutes christians a " peculiar people," 
and unites them in one indissoluble body, led on by the "cap- 
tain of their salvation." Jesus proceeds to say : " They are not 
of the world, even as I am not of the world ; sanctify them 
through thy truth, thy word is truth; as thou hast sent me into 
the world, (with thy words as the light of the world,) even so 
have I sent them into the world, (with the same words, arid for 
the same purpose. So the holy Apostles understood Him, and 
so they acted, hence their extreme caution in what they taught, 
and ihe manner of teaching ;) neither pray I for these alone, but 
for them also that shall believe on me through their word."— = 
What is the great and paramount purpose of this prayer ?— 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 153 

" That they all may be one." How one ? " As thou, Father, 
art in me, and I in thee, that they (all who believe in me) also 
may be one in us." And what object is to be accomplished by 
this perfect union of all christians ? " That the world may be- 
lieve that thou hast sent me." Now, it is manifestly evident that 
Christ purposed His church and disciples, throughout all time 
and in all places over the habitable globe, to be " one with Him 
as He is one with the Father." This position is irrefutable, 
for they are His very words ; and words spoken by an honest 
man represents ideas, and are the exponents of his mind and 
will. Without, therefore, entering into any of the subtle argu- 
ments of very " learned theologians," relative to the essential 
nature of Christ, we shall take for a basis His official character, 
which alone interests the world. All, then, who profess Chris- 
tianity at all, will agree that Christ and the Father were of one 
mind and one will. Hence said Jesus, " whatsoever the Father 
doeth, that doeth the Son also ;" and " the words that I speak 
unto you are not mine, but the Father's which sent me ;" and 
again, " of myself I can do nothing, as I hear (or am instructed 
of God) so I judge." There was, therefore, not a shade of 
discrepency in mind, will or purpose, between Christ and God. 
This is what we claim for the christian church — for all the 
legitimate assemblies of His "disciples indeed" — of one mind 
and of one will, and, consequently, of one belief and of one prac- 
tice. " Whosoever seeth me, seeth the Father ; I and the Fa- 
ther are one," said Christ. Even so we are authorized by God, 
to say of the christian church. Whosoever seeth one assembly 
of His disciples at any time, and in any part of the world, will 
see all, for all ara one in mind and will, faith and practice ; be- 
cause, as men they can do nothing, but as instructed by Christ, 
they judge and act. " They all mind the same things, and 
walk by the same rule," said Paul. This indissoluble oneness 
is to be maintained by exclusive discipleship, by implicit obe- 
dience to the pure precepts of Christ — " I in them and thou in 
me, that they may be made perfect in one" — " if ye keep my 



154 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

commandments (as individuals or as a church) ye shall abide iri 
my love, even as I have kept my Father's commandments and 
abide in His love.'' Will the assumed Ambassadors of Christ 
set aside or mystify the plain words of the Son of God, in order 
to sustain their sectarian interests, their divisions and contradic- 
tory organizations ? In the same prayer Christ utters these re- 
markable words : " The glory which thou hast given me I have 
given them." What glory? Certainly not of atoning for the 
sin of the world, nor of being the head of the new creation, nor 
yet of the high Priesthood ; yet every disciple is under Christ, 
as being one with Him, Kings and Priests to God. Through 
their abiding in His word, and perpetuating His pure precepts, 
Christ and God rules by them, and they offer up prayers for the 
world. But it is the glory of being constituted the "lights of the 
world," and the infallible guides of mankind in the stead of 
Christ. 

The christian church was designed by God to be the perpetual 
representative of Christ to the end of days! But consider well of 
whom this is said ; " All tvho believe on me through their 
(Apostles) words" — all in whom the words of Christ abide ; all 
whose faith stands in the power of God, and not in the wisdom 
of men; all who are Christ's "disciples indeed." The mis- 
sion of the Apostles has not ceased, and never will whilst the 
world endures ; for, though dead, they yet speak, and are still 
proclaiming <c all the words that lead to eternal life ;" and they 
with the Holy spirit, are ever ready to instruct all that will ap- 
ply to them, " without money and without price." 

The thing is self evident, that if Christ and His Apostles 
teach the same truths at all times and to all nations, that every 
disciple of His must learn the same lessons, and if they obey 
His precepts only, they must, as christians, walk in the same 
steps and do the same things ; and, also, every assembly or 
Church, founded on the same instructions, must be the same in 
faith, usage and practice. If they are not so, it is because they 
are not founded on the "rock of ages;" because they do not 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 155 

" meet in His exclusive name; and do not obey His only voice; 
" for, where there are divisions and diversities, there must be 
heresies also." This is an inevitable proof of separation from 
Christ! Reader, reflect on this awful, yet infallible truth. — 
Men may continue to wrest the word of God to favor their sys- 
tems of divinity, but it will prove their own, and the destruction 
of thousands that follow their " pernicious ways;" "neverthe- 
less the foundation standeth sure, having this seal : God know- 
eth who are His." c * Every plant that is not of God's right 
hand planting, shall be plucked up" — Christ. 

But, moreover, on this oneness and indivisibility of the chris- 
tian church, much depends in relation to the conversion of the 
world, and the acknowledgment of the divinity of Christ's mis- 
sion ! He said, " that they may be perfected in one, that the 
world may know that thou hast sent me." Is there no reason 
in this ? Has the success of pure Christianity nothing to do 
with the unity of the church, of her teachings, usages and 
practice ? Are not mankind seeking occasions to throw off the 
restraints of the gospel by every means ? And do not infidels, 
whether avowed or secret, for there are a thousand secret infi- 
dels to one who avow it — yea, many such are in the church, and 
not a few who claim to be Ambassadors of Christ for hire ! — 
Does not the divisions in doctrine, in practice, in usages, and in 
government of professed christian churches, afford all such, 
much countenance in their skepticism ? Do the angry contro- 
versies of the learned champions of the contending sects, afford 
no food for infidelity ? Is there no reason in this infidel saying: 
" First agree among yourselves what Christianity is, and then 
teach us." We think it quite rational ; for, when men of great 
abilities and of extensive learning, after years of investigation, 
cannot agree what it is, but differ materially among themselves 
in faith, in practice, in usages, and in government, and orders 
of ministers; and all profess to derive their conflicting systems 
from Christ ! Under this disgraceful view of the gospel of 
Christ, men learn to despise it and its author ! If you say let 



156 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

thern go to the scriptures for information, of what use then is 
your preaching and your church organizations, if they are not to 
enlighten the world? What end does all the vast array of means, 
money, time and learning serve ? And, moreover, it may rea- 
sonably be replied, if the scriptures be shrouded in such mystery 
as your divisions and your ponderous volumes of divinity, and 
your controversies indicate so plainly, what hope have we of 
understanding them any better than yourselves ? And a great 
majority of us have not the means, which you say are necessary 
to a proper understanding of that mysterious book. We can- 
not spend years at a theological seminary for that purpose, and 
if we could, your example gives us no hope of success of arriving 
at the true meaning of the scriptures! And further, it maybe 
said, and rationally said, a revelation requiring such an amount 
of learning and research to understand, and even then no uni- 
form conclusions can be obtained, cannot possibly have emula- 
ted from God, and, therefore it is all Priestcraft ! These are 
the legitimate conclusions to be drawn from the existing divided 
state of the professed christian world ! These things are, of 
themselves, sufficient to create infidels, even of such as would 
desire to be christians. A revelation from God, the Father jo 
all spirits, designed for the instruction of the great masses of 
mankind, and to which they are made accountable on the pen- 
alty of eternal misery; and yet, so enveloped in mystery as to 
baffle all attempts at a uniform construction of its true meaning ! 
Is such a revelation from God ? It is blasphemy to assert it! 
And yet these sectarian divisions and controversies declare it 
to be so to the world ! Well might the infinitely wise and be- 
nevolent Son of God, pray that " they all might be perfected in 
one, that the world might believe that God had sent him." That 
they might, by the love and unity of all his disciples, believe 
that his religion was the gift of a merciful, wise, and benevolent 
God, and not of men. 

But take the opposite view of this subject, and suppose that 
the avowed purpose of God was accomplished, by all who pro- 



TREATISE OK CfiRISf IANITY. 15"? 

fess to believe on Hirn, being in all parts of the world of one 
faith, one practice, one usage, and all associating under one 
form of church government, and all amicably striving together 
for the one hope of their calling, instead of hundreds of different 
faiths, forms of worship, governments and usages, w T ith unceas= 
ing strivings and doatings about words and doctrines, to the 
subverting the hearers ; each endeavoring to build up their dif- 
ferent sects on the ruin of others. If such was the case, would 
not mankind on contemplating their harmony and order, " fall 
down and declare that God was with them of a truth?" And 
would not Christianity be a thousand fold more powerful to con- 
vert the world? Yes, verily, if our holy Christianity was disen« 
thralled from the impenetrable clouds of jargon, fables, and 
speculations of the clergy, and remained as God designed it 
should, in its native simplicity, as taught by its author ; it would 
then exhibit the wisdom, prudence and benevolence of the Deity, 
and " commend itself to every man's own conscience in the 
sight of God." This oneness of the christian church is, there- 
fore, essential to the success of the gospel of Christ. Such is 
the judgment of almighty God and of common sense. 

But again, this perfect oneness of all christian assemblies, is 
everywhere in the revealed will of God, set forth and illustrated 
by such figures as can only exist by the per/ ect union of its 
parts. The Son of God, in discoursing of His church and of 
believers, said : " I am the vine, and ye are the branches ; he 
tJiat abideth in me and I in him, the same bringeth forth much 
fruit, for without me ye can do nothing; if a man abide not in 
me, he is cast forth as a branch, and withereth." Now the 
branch of a vine cannot exist without a continued supply of 
nourishment from its parent vine. " Continue in my words* 
said Jesus, u andye are my disciples indeed.'''' Furthermore, all 
the branches of any vine presents to the beholder the same foliage, 
the leaves are of the same/brm and color, the blossoms and the 
fruit are the very same. If it be said that this alluded to indi- 
vidual members, we reply, what is a christian church but an as- 



158 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

sembly of individual branches of Christ, the vine? All are of 
one and the same nine, and when convened in any number, in 
any place, for religious worship, they all present the very same 
appearance, and partake of the very same nourishment, inform, 
kind, and quality. If, otherwise, they do not derive all their 
nourishment from Christ, and are not branches of Him at all. 

And again, Christ represents His disciples under the figure of 
a flock of sheep, of which He is the owner and the only shep- 
herd. " He that entereth in by the door (that is legally) is the 
shepherd of the sheep, to him the porter openeth, and the sheep 
hear his voice, and he calleth his own sheep by name, and he 
leadeth them out, (from under Moses, and from- the Jewish 
fold,) and when he puteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before 
them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice, and a 
stranger they will not follow, for they know not the voice of 
strangers. Other sheep (Gentiles) have I also, which are not 
of this fold; them also I must bring, and they shall hear my 
voice, and there shall be one fold and one shepherd." There 
cannot be any mistake respecting who are u strangers and hire- 
lings^ for Christ said that " strangers and hirelings'' would 
flee when imminent danger approached. And why ? Because 
the sheep were not their oivn; but the one shepherd whose own 
the sheep were, laid down His life for them ! So that it is 
manifest that the Lord Jesus Christ looks upon all, who under- 
take to rule and guide His disciples, as usurpers ; they being 
" strangers and hirelings." Such, they are forbid to hear or 
follow, and to flee from them as the veriest enemies to their sal- 
vation! And they are, too, the most dangerous of all enemies, 
because they enter the fold in sheep's clothing, and destroy them 
before any danger is suspected! li By good words and fair 
speeches deceive the unsuspecting," said Paul, speaking of the 
same order of men ; tor this mystery of iniquity began to work 
even in his day, but was kept under until the 2d century, after 
which it made rapid strides, and acquired complete dominion, 
destroying every disciple of Christ within its reach, and all for 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 159 

the glory of God, and the good of His church ! ! 0, ye disci- 
ples of the Son of God, flee from the u stranger and the hire- 
ling,'' and follow the good shepherd, He whose own the sheep 
are, and hear His only voice. If you do not so, destruction 
awaits you. So Christ, your best and unchangeable friend 
warns and entreats you. The christian church, therefore, is 
onefold under one shepherd. He goes before them, they follow 
him ; they must not follow " strangers and hirelings,'" "but flee 
from them ;" and all ore such but the owner, and He died for 
them. There can be no mistake here. Moreover, this perfect- 
ly harmonizes with all God's revelation under both dispensa- 
tions. God was the sole law-giver under the Jewish dispensa- 
tion, as He is under the christian ; and both were perverted by 
the same means, viz : Men assuming to expound the laws of 
God, and gathering parlies around them, pledged to support 
and to perpetuate their opinions as the truth of God ! 

The argument for the oneness and indivisibility of the chris- 
tian church, is fully secured by what has been presented, and 
we might with safety rest it here; but the Holy Ghost has so 
insisted upon this vital truth, and has, therefore, presented it 
under so many and such plain and significant figures, and illus- 
trated it in so many ways, that the revelation of Jesus Christ is 
filled with ihern, and the urgent cautions to preserve that leading 
and cardinal principle of the church and kingdom of God, are 
so numerous that the difficulty is to limit our quotations ! The 
Apostle's loiter of instructions to the Ephesians is full of this 
vital subject. We will present a portion as an example.-— 
" God having made known tons (Apostles) the mystery of His 
will, according to His good pleasure, which he hath purposed 
in Himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of times, He 
might gather together in one, all things in Christ, both which 
are in Heaven, and which are in the earth, even in Him.'' 
Now compare this with the definition of a " christian eclesia, 
as given by the Lord Jesus, Himself: " Wheresoever two or 
three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the 



) 



160 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

midst. ,5 This was the purpose of God from the beginning, and 
all His previous dispensations were preparatory schools, to tram 
mankind for this last manifestation of the love of God. "Last 
of all, He sent His Son, saying, ' surely they will reverence my 
Son.' " But the husbandmen of the Jewish church, those who 
controlled her as faithful guardians of their own interests, cast 
Him out and murdered Him, and all for the glory of God ! — - 
None but the Jews, who are the party implicated, will deny 
this ; and they do to this day deny murdering the Son of God, 
(as such.) But is it any the less true because of their denial? 
Are professed christian husbandmen any better than they ? — 
By no means. Did not the elders, who, by the constitution of 
the assemblies of Christ's. disciples, were placed over the house 
of God, to oversee and watch over its interests, and to teach the 
unlettered the pure precepts and promises of Christ, and to see 
that all the laws of the kingdom of God were observed, and to 
protect the unlettered brethren from the fables and opinions of 
men — did not they, themselves, like as the elders of the Jewish 
church did Moses, dethrone Christ, and taking the advantage of 
their office and the unlettered condition of believers, to introduce 
fables, and teach for doctrines their own commandments, which 
they put forth in the name of Christ ? " Thus they crucified 
the Son of God afresh, and put Him to open sha?ne\" They 
usurped His government over the church, and utterly disgraced 
His holy religion by their additions of various kinds, all looking 
to their own advancement as an Order ! And, also, by their 
angry controversies and ambitious contentions. All this, Pro- 
testants will very readily admit, was done by the Papists, but 
the Papists indignantly deny it, and hurl back the same [ charge 
on Protestants, with compound interest added ! The Papists 
contend that they are the only true friends of Christ. They loved 
Him and his people so dearly that they sent all His disciples 
from earth to Heaven in a hurry ; and so far as history, obser- 
vation and experience can instruct us, we have abundance of 
proof that the Protestant husbandmen would be glad of the op- 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 16i 

portunity of showing their great love for Christ in the same 
way ! Do they not crucify Christ in His members even in tliest 
days of religious liberty ? Wherein ? By persecuting all such 
who conscientiously refuse to call any of their leaders and sys- 
tem makers, "master," and refuse to be baptized into obedience 
to some one of them, and by agreeing to turn all out of their 
synagogues who believe on His only name, and wish to be His 
" disciples indeed." And do not Protestants put Him to open 
shame daily, by their numerous divisions and sectarian conten- 
tions ? And, also, by retaining in their communities a majority 
of persons who barely say " Lord, Lord, but do not the things 
commanded by Christ?" Yea, more, do they not exclude from 
their communities persons who think it preferable to obey Christ 
than men? These are well attested facts, known and read of 
all men. 

But the purpose of God, in the gift of His Son, was, that Ik 
might gather together in one, all believers, even in Christ ; to 
unite all such in one great brotherhood, under the sole guidance 
of the Lord Jesus, the elder brother of God^s one family. The 
Apostle tells the Ephesians that this was a mystery kept hid in 
the bosom of God from all past times ; but that now the period 
had rolled round, as before determined on by God, for the ac- 
complishment of His gracious purpose; and that they, the 
Apostles, to whom it was first made known by God, had it in 
charge to proclaim to all the world, and that whosoever believed 
on Christ and were baptized into obedience to God, the Father, 
Son and H >ly Ghost, should be numbered among God's chil- 
dren, and be admitted into His family, and compose one indi- 
visible brotherhood. Christ Jesus, the Lord, is the centre of 
attraction, around which every individual believer revolves 
freely, one equal to another; and He is their common sun, from 
whom each and every believer receives their own portion bf light 
and life. This is equally the condition of all, independent of 
Others. The access to God, the common Father of all, is as 
free for one as for another, for the least as for the greatest. 



162 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

The Apostle proceeds to discourse thus : " In whom (Christ) 
ys (Ephesians) also trusted, after that ye heard the word of 
truth, the gospel of your salvation. In whom also, after that 
ye believed, ye were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 
which is the earnest (a portion and pledge) of our inheritance, 
until the redemption (or you put in fall possession) of the_pwr- 
chased possession (eternal life) unto the glory of His grace." — - 
The Apostle assures these Gentiles that they stood on equal 
footing with the Jews, and that faith in, and obedience to 
Christ, was equally obligatory on both ; that Jesus had, by the 
one offering of Himself, forever destroyed the middle wall ©£ 
partition contained in carnal (worldly) ordinances, ior to make 
in Himself (Christ) of twain, one new man 7 so making peace." 
Here the Apostle plainly informs us, that God, in order to ac- 
complish His purpose of forming one undivided household of 
the disciples of Christ, had removed all hinderanees, and that 
one uniform mode of worship, adapted to all persons and to 
every place, and under all circumstances, was now ordained ~ 
and that worldly ordinances should no longer divide His Isreal, 
for all his people should henceforth have free access, by one 
spirit, through one mediator and one sacrifice to the one God ; 
and that all believers were one in Christ Jesus— thus making 
peace. Woe to that man, who, by any means, disturbs that 
oneness, harmony and peace ! 

What is this "one new man," if it be not the church of 
Christ? "Now ye (Gentiles) are no more strangers and for- 
eigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the house- 
hold of God, and are built upon the foundation of the Prophets 
and Apostles, Jesus Christ Himself, being the chief corner 
stone" This is the faith of every true christian, " of every 
plant of God's right hand planting ;"" of every disciple in- 
deed," and the only sure foundation of every christian associa- 
tion under Heaven. There was speculative faith, and Priestly 
faith too, enough before Christ ; but He came to settle the wan. 
derings of men's imaginations, by one uniform system of truths, 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY, 163 

sustained by the special and incontrovertable sanction of Al- 
mighty God. Now, He proceeds to describe the temple as the 
dwelling place of God, erected on the foundation mentioned — - 
mark its beautiful unity: " In whom (Christ) all the building 
fitly framed together, groweth into an holy temple in the Lord." 
All the individual members, and all the assemblies of those 
members, wherever scattered over the face of the whole earth, 
being instructed by one teacher, asd He infallible and un- 
changeably the same, were, as an unfailing consequence, all of 
one heart, of one mind, and of on:? usage; so that, if brought 
together, like the materials of Solomon's temple, which was a 
type of the christian church — and to this the Apostle refers — 
would perfectly fit and harmonize, and constitute one temple 
fitly framed together, compacted by the fitting of every joint, 
and present a uniform appearance ; one and indivisible, like its 
builder and founder, who is God, commingling and uniting like 
kindred drops of water- 
Such is declared by the Apostle, to have been the purpose of 
God, thus to unite all believers in one, even in Christ. He 
then thus entreats believers so to demean themselves as to aid, 
and not hinder, this gracious purpose of God, " J, therefore. 
the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you, that ye walk worthy of 
the calling wherewith ye are called." How were they to do 
this ? By assuming to be called of men Rabbi, Rabbi, and de- 
firing the chief seats in the synagogues; by assuming to be 
masters over the faith of their brother disciples ; by individuals 
erecting standards based up >n their expositions of the meaning 
of their common master, and gathering factions around them, 
and thus placing each in hostile attituies? Is this the way to 
promote harmony and to aid the purpose of God ? Think ye 
so Rev. master Rabbi? Why, satan himself, could not have 
devised a more insiduous and perfect scheme, to frustrate the 
purpose of Jehovah, and to destroy the unity of the church of 
Jesus Christ! The teachings of the Holy Ghost are the very 
reverse of all this ! It is by believers demeaning themselves 



164 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANXTT, 

toward each other, " with all lowliness and meekness, with 
long suffering, forbearing one another in love, endeavoring, by 
so doing, to keep the unity of the spirit in the bonds of peace." 
The holy Apostle next gives the reasons why " disciples" 
should make every sacrifice of a selfish and worldly nature, to 
preserve and to perpetuate the perfect oneness and indivisibili- 
ty of the church of God, " for there is one body, one spirit, one 
hope of their calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one 
God and Father of all, who is above all and in you all." This 
solitary passage alone, if there were no other in ihe whole com- 
pass of revelation, amply sustains the unity and indivisibility of 
the " christian church." " One body" and " one spirit" is the 
emblem of the "christian church." This cannot be wrested 
so as to mean many bodies of different organizations and con- 
trary usages and practice! The human body is referred to by 
the Apostle. This body has its own identity and one organiza- 
' tion, the body also has but " one spirit," by which it is anima- 
ted, and all its various members directed and controlled.— 
A human body also, has but one head, and in that one head all 
the controlling power resides. A body with many heads would 
b? a monster in nature! The "christian church" is the body of 
Christ, of which He is the one head and controller. This is her 
"one Lord" or "master," whom alone she must obey, or cease to 
be His body. The "christian church" has but "one faith.'' 
Faith, we know, sometimes implies confidence in things future 
■iid not seen, but hoped for; but here, it unquestionably means 
the teachings of Christ her head. There is but one teacher 
then, and one " form of doctrines," to which the disciples are 
commanded by the Apostle to "hold fast;" and by another 
Apostle " to contend earnestly (ardently and perseveringly) for 
\hefaitk once delivered to the saints." Corresponding with 
this " one faith" and " one Lord," master and teacher, there is 
but " one baptism. " Now, the Apostle has no reference to the 
form of baptism, and it would be downright nonsense to say so; 
but he refers to the object and design of that institution, and 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 166 

that is obedience to the " one faith" and " one Lord," by all 
11 disciples" binding themselves to cleave unto Christ as their 
only instructor, and to forsake all others. How does this cor- 
respond with the existing order of things, where there are as 
many bodies, spirits, lords or masters, faiths and baptisms, as 
there are sects ? This cannot be disputed by any man, and yet 
it is pointedly opposed to the most positive declaration of the 
Apostle of Jesus Christ — yea, it is as contrary to revelation as 
is blasphemy, yet the most "learned divines," with all their 
research will not see it ! They can write learnedly, and dis- 
course eloquently about speculative opinions, contained in creeds 
and confessions of faith, but they cannot see this most obvious 
and essential part of Christianity, the unity and indivisibility of 
the christian church ! The Apostle concludes his description 
of the church by this climax, this top-stone of perfect oneness; 
"And one God and Father of all, who is above all, and in you 
all;" and all " disciples" have " one hope," as the object and 
end of their labor's all, and that is "life eternal." Everything 
connected with the church tends to promote her unity, and to 
perpetuate her indivisibility. There is, therefore, not the re- 
motest cause, or the least excuse for divisions ; but, on the con- 
trary, the tendency to division is every where in God's revela- 
tion reprobated as destructive to Christianity. Every principle 
that now exists in the professing world, having such a tendency, 
is of satan, and the cunning craft of man, and lies under God's 
reprobation, and the authors will receive their due reward. 

The contentions about, and the great pains taken, and efforts 
made to perpetuate the distinctive faith of each sect by theii 
champions, reminds us of the conduct of their illustrous prede- 
cessors of the Jewish sects, who contended so stoutly for tithes^ 
even to mint, rue, anice and cumin, and for the success of their 
separate creeds, " whilst they neglected the weightier matters of 
the law, judgment and truth!" and both have the very same origin, 
4i mastership," and consequent rebellion, the one against Moses, 
and the other against Christ, and both against the order of God. 



165 TREATISE ON CHKI8TIANITT, 

The Apostle then proceeds to show the means which Christ 
had furnished for the extension and perfection of His kingdom, 
"He gave some, Apostles/ 7 men especially commissioned by 
Christ in person, and qualified to publish and to direct all 
things relating to His kingdom on earth ; " some, Prophets,'* 
persons inspired to warn " disciples" of approaching danger, 
(see Acts, 21st chapter ;) " some, Evangelists" — these were 
men employed by the Apostles to supply their presence and 
lack of personal service, to settle the faith of " disciples" by 
correcting their errors, and supplying them with authentic in- 
structions " T and, also, to organize churches, and appoint Elders 
as personal overseers. The Evangelists were under the abso- 
lute control of the Apostles, and acted under their dictation, anil 
dare not teach anything, only as directed and instructed by them 9 
(see Paul's letters to Timothy and Titus, who were both Evan- 
gelists, and not settled or diocesem Bishops, as is vainly ima- 
gined, to serve the purpose of presumptuous aspirents;) " some, 
Pastors and Teachers," the " Pastor" was the settled and per- 
manent overseer. One or two presided over each assembly of 
" disciples," (for their qualifications see Paul's letter to Timo- 
thy and Titus ;) " Teachers," these were such as were endowed 
with extraordinary gifts, such as tongues, and their interpreta- 
tions, and other miraculous gifts,, The whole were u for the 
work of the Ministry, for the edifying the body of Christ."— 
Mark the " indivisibility" of the church again- — the " body of 
Christ !" These aids of the church were all under the control 
of Christ, either through the Apostles, or the direct influence of 
the Holy Ghost; in the latter case their missions were demon- 
strated by miraculous gifts, and all by " the one spirit ;" and 
most assuredly they did not contradict and denounce each other! 
No, verily, but they built up the church in unity, and not de- 
stroy it by discord! Now, on this and similar passages of reve- 
lation, all the various and the opposing hierarchies of the day 
endeavor to sustain themselves. But, if all these aids, or any 
part of them, were designed to be perpetuated to the end of 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 167 

time, they must exist as originally instituted, then we must have 
Apostles to represent and act in the stead of the personal pre- 
sence of the Lord Jesus, and of consequence, endowed with all 
their virtues and qualifications. "Prophets" must be inspired, to 
foretell future evils or good' "Teachers" must continue to sus- 
tain their mission by miraculous gifts ! And, moreover, they 
must all be moved by the " one and the same spirit of truth," 
and of consequence, no discordancy of teachings, but perfect 
harmony of interests, feelings, purposes and doctrines, must 
exist throughout the whole ! But is it so ? Let facts answer. 
Until such be the case, all the assumptions of their Holinesses. 
Reverences, and Right Reverences, are mere chimerics of their 
ambitious aspirations ! 

But the Apostle tells us that they were temporary, and were 
only intended by Gnd for the infant state of Christianity and the 
church, and its consequent imperfect condition, relating to 
authentic instructions on all matters of faith and practice. In 
this helpless and infant state, they were exposed to the "cun- 
ning craft of men, who lie in wait to deceive them,"" and " to 
be driven about by every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of 
such persons." 

"These," (aids) said the Apostle, " were given -until we all 
come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son 
of God (having all His instructions) unto a perfect man, (having 
all its parts ;) unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of 
Christ, (all His revealed will,) that henceforth (in all time to 
come,) we be no more children, needing leaders, instructors 
and guides, and following every pretended friend who might 
proffer his aid and services, and ihus be tossed to and fro, and 
carried about by every wind of doctrine (imagined) by the 
sleight and caft of men." 

Nothing is more evident to an unprejudiced and disinterested 
mind, than that the Apostle alludes to a period not far distant 
from the tine of his writing, when " disciples'' would not need 
the aids which he had just enumerated. And that period was. 



168 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

when the church had in its possession the whole of the "one 
faith," all the counsel of God, called here by him, " the unity 
of the faith," and " the fullness of Christ." This constituted 
"disciples" men, and capable of helping themselves, and also 
saved them from being " tossed to and fro, and carried about 
by diverse doctrines, through the sleight and cunning of men." 
So that what the clergy appropriate to themselves, is directly 
opposed to them and all their vain pretentions. 

But what are " disciples" to do as an organized body, when 
they have the entire of the "one faith," and "the measure of the 
stature of the fullness of Christ?" Their duty is made plain by 
the Apostle : " By speaking the truth in love, disciples are to 
grow up in Him in all things, who is their head, even Christ, 
from whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted, 
by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual 
working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the 
body, unto the edifying of itself in love." Each and every 
assembly of "disciples," are to sustain themselves by obedience 
to the " one faith" and " one Lord," and by mutual acts of 
brotherly love, as the various members of the human body mu- 
tually assists in its preservation, and this they do for their own 
advantage and preservation, for if one suffer all suffer ; there- 
fore, no one member is entitled to more reward or honor and 
consideration than another, for their united aid is essential to 
the welfare of the whole, and all derive equal benefit. All are 
subject to the absolute control of Chsist, the one and only 
Lord and head. 

The next illustration of the unity of the church, and of her 
subjection to Christ only, is taken from the marriage state as 
instituted by God, But He says that the latter but faintly re- 
presents the former; yet the marriage state was designed by 
Heaven to be as much a unit as any thing in nature could be, 
when composed of two parts ; " for ihe husband is the head of 
the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church." There- 
fore, as the church is subject to Christ, (in all things and to 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 169 

Him only,) so let the wives be to their own husbands (only) in 
all things;'* for we (disciples) are members of His body, of His 
flesh, and of His bones;" " for this cause shall a man leave his 
father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they 
twain shall be one flesh;" therefore, the " husband should love 
his wife as his own flesh," as Christ had loved the church, and 
given His life for her. Notwithstanding this subjection of the 
»vife to her husband, and to him only, yet the depenoence of the 
church and her absolute subjection to Christ and Him only, in all 
things, far surpasses it; indeed, all figures and illustrations, 
however dependent on each other and closely united, fail pro- 
perly to explain the " great mystery" of the oneness of the 
christian church, and her absolute and entire subjeciion to Christ, 
her husband and her head ! Human language and natural 
figures, failed to express and to set forth the idea and the neces- 
sity of this union and dependence, as it existed in the mind of 
an inspired Apostle ! He had employed such as were, by their 
union and dependence, best adapted to that end, and yet it re- 
mained in part a " mystery !" 

The Apostle elsewhere said, " that a woman is bound by the 
law of her husband as long as he liveth, so that if she be mar- 
ried to another man (and thus place herself under the control of 
another) whilst he liveth, she shall be called an adultress." — 
But Christ ever liveth; and, therefore, any associaiion of men, 
professing Christianity and submitting to the control of any man 
or set of men, under any pretence whatever, is an adultrous 
church ! This conclusion is too manifest from the premises 
laid by the Apostle, to be denied. But hear him again, breath- 
ing out his fears and his apprehensions : " for I am jealous 
over you with a Godly jealousy, for I have espoused you to one 
husband, that I may present you a chaste virgin to Christ." As 
one whose eyes are restrained from even looking on another, 
much less yielding to their seductive words, smiles, and fair 
speeches. Though I have labored to prevent such a calamity, 
* { yet I fear lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve 



170 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from 
the simplicity that is in Christ." How did satan beguile Eve? 
By approaching her as a benevolent friend and kind disinter- 
ested adviser, pitying her innocent simplicity, and promising to 
make her more wise! She yielded to his fascinating promises, 
and "fair speeches ;" but in doing so she rebelled against Godi 
But, alas ! she discovered her folly too late. 

It is, therefore, placed beyond any doubt, from the clear, oft 
repeated, uniform, and most positive declarations of the Holy 
Ghost, that God purposed and ordained that the " christian 
church" should be " one and indivisible," in faith, practice, 
usages, organization and ordinances ; one body and one head. 

This was to be effected by "discipleship" to one teacher. And 
this is the only way by which it could possibly have been ac- 
complished, unless he had inspired all teachers, through all 
time, with unerring wisdom and truth. But seeing that He 
has not so clone, is demonstrative proof that no others were in- 
tended by God, for that would be to have destroyed His own 
purpose! 

If, then, what has been produced on this subject, be not suf- 
ficient to convince men, neither would they be convinced if one 
rose from the dead ! 

A few remarks, and we have done on this theme : 

First — Both Christ and His Apostles foretold the destruction 
of the oneness and the purity of the christian church, not by the 
open violence of avowed enemies ; but from the insiduous arts of 
her avowed friends! Hence, they are called " wolves in sheep's 
clothing ;" " ministers of satan, transforming themselves into 
ministers of righteousness ;" and to " angels or messengers of 
light," professing to be sent by God ; and " false Prophets ^ J 
** to men from among themselves, rising up and drawing away 
disciples after them," &c. It was to be done through "fair 
speeches and good words," deceit, craft, cunning and subtilty, 
as satan deceived Eve, under the plea of making her more wise! 

Second — -If the class of teachers that were necessary in the 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 171 

infancy of the church, sach as are mentioned in the Scriptures, 
and which the order of clergy profess to succeed and to be per- 
petuated, why have we no Apostles working obvious miracles, as 
proof of their mission? Why no Prophets to foretell approach- 
ing danger ? Why no gifts of tongues, and interpretations of 
tongues? Why no gifts of healing? Why do not those on 
whose head the clergy lay their hands, receive the Holy Ghost, 
as an evidence that they are acting under the authority of the 
Lord Jesus? These all once existed in the church, but do not 
now ; because not needed. So it is with those aids and officers 
mentioned in the Scriptures. As a man, when his edifice is 
finished, dismisses his workmen and pulls down the scaffolding. 
Third — Among all the phenomena of mind, and all the hid- 
den motives of men's actions, and all the deceptions that men 
have indulged in themselves, or practised on others, none is 
more mysterious than the long, violent, turbulent and bloody 
contentions of the clergy, about obscure allusions in the Scrip- 
tures, to things in noway effecting the salvation of men, or the 
advancement of practical holiness — such as the essential nature 
of Christ ; the decrees of God ; universal restoration ; election 
and reprobation ; the Lord's supper; modes of baptism, and its 
efficacy, and the grades of the Clerical order, so called ; and 
others of equal insignificancy to man's salvation, or the progress 
of vital godliness. Yet, about these, men have taxed their in- 
genuity, exhausted learning and argument, multiplied ponderous 
volumes, disturbed the repose of the world, and murdered mil- 
lions of their fellow creatures, and drowned their own and the 
souls of others in perdition ! ! This men have done, and are 
now doing, when permitted; whilst the fundamentel doctrines of 
Christianity, though clearly revealed, and oftener expressed, and 
urged with all the authority of God, and insisted upon with all 
the ardor belonging to their vital importance, are neglected alto- 
gether, or only faintly alluded to by those pre-eminent friends 
of God and guardians of His Church ! — Such as the abso- 
lute and undivided control of Christ over His own house, and 



112 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

the implicit and constant obedience due Him from all who 
desire salvation; and the oneness and indivisibility of the church 
and kingdom of God ! This is so. Satan is a consumate gen- 
eral and tactician; he sendb his emissaries into ihe church, or se- 
lects them from her own bosom, and procures for them the chief 
seats, and good and pleasant quarters. He does more, for he 
induces many of them to persuade themselves that they are act- 
ing the part of liege subjects of the God of Heaven. He first 
divides, and then destroys. 

Fourth — If the christian church was not intended by God to 
be indivisibly one, why employ as^ illustrations, only such 
figures as cannot exist but by the union of their parts ? — 
Figures which convey to the mind of the reader the most per- 
fect union and indivisibility, such as a finished building, a vine 
and its branches, and the human body and its members? — 
Could objects better calculated to convey the idea of unity and 
sameness, have been selected by the inspired writers for that 
purpose, than such as they have selected ? 

Fifth — If this oneness was not of vital importance, why re- 
peat it so often, and urge it with so much earnestness? Why 
use so many and so weighty reasons against disunion? Why 
so many cautions and earnest entreaties, to avoid every thing 
having the smallest tendency to produce disunion? All this, 
Christ and His Apostles have done. The only sufficient reason 
that can be assigned for it is, that it was essential to the suc- 
cess of Christianity, and the salvation of men. 

Sixth — If the oneness of the christian church, as argued by 
us, be not a primary and vital truth of Christianity, then words, 
which, in all other writings and by all men, are employed to 
convey the ideas of the writers, have been employed by the 
writers of the scriptures to mislead the reader! This absurd 
and unavoidable conclusion must be admitted, or the truth is 
as we have stated it. Did the writers of the New Testament 
really mean what they wrote? If they did not, but used words 
and employed illustrations, calculated to deceive and mislead the 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 173 

understanding of the readers, then we are safe in affirming that 
God has nothing to do wish them, and the greatest benefactors 
of mankind are they, who will employ their time and means to 
collect every copy of the scriptures, and consume them in th« 
flames ; for, on that supposition they are the most dangerous 
writings in existence ! But as we believe that the writers of 
the New Testament were pre-eminently honest, disinterested 
and holy men, (we are compelled so to consider them, because 
of the Godlike principles taught by them ; and because of their 
disinterested conduct exhibited in their lives, whilst publishing 
it to the world.) We are justifiable, therefore, in concluding 
that they employed words and illustrations, to convey their 
meaning to the readers of the New Testament, that were the 
most easy of comprehension. And, therefore, the Holy Scrip- 
tures are, of themselves, an unerring guide to God and eternal 
life, to all who will apply to them (or that purpose. We believe 
that we glorify and honor God, the Father, Son, and Holy 
Ghost, by such a belie r , and that we would degrade and dis- 
honor God if we bdieved otherwise. 

The Holy Scriptures so plainly and so fully teach the doc- 
trine of the one'ness of the christian church, that it is absolutely 
impossible not to admit it. -All, therefore, admit it; but the sec- 
tarians, knowing that such admission, if candidly avowed and 
properly understood, would inevitably explode all their sys:eras 
of divinity and sec arian organizations. They, therefore, take 
very good care not to mcddie with it! This doctrine is too mys- 
terious for all their learning! They treat it precisely as the mas- 
ters in the Jewish church did the drctrine of a suffering Mes- 
tiah> so clearly taught by their Prophets, viz: They wrest it 
from its true and obvious meaning, and having no fears that 
any of the "masters' 1 '' of Protestant sects, will venture to inves- 
tigate the subject in the spirit of a " disciple indeed." They 
have, consequently, imposed on themselves, or permitted satan 
to do so, the flimsy and silly pretext, that the scriptures mean 
dtninvisible church ! Now, as rediculous and as futile as such 



174 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

an excuse is, yet they have induced all their disciples te 
believe it ! — and there the Protestant world rests — yes, the 
whole Protestant world calmly reposes under this gross and 
dangerous delusion ! ! 

It will require but a small amount of common Sense to see 
through this deception. What is a "christian church ?" A 
company of men and women assembled in oneplace, to worship 
Almighty God, under the direction and instruction of the Lord 
Jesus Christ; as said Jesus, a wheresoever two or three are 
met together in my name, there am I in the midst." Such is a 
"christian church" on earth. Now, whoever heard of an as- 
sembly of invisible men and women} We can conceive of an 
invisible assembly of disembodied spirits in Heaven, adoring 
Almighty God and the Lamb ; but no man ever yet saiv such an 
assembly. And again, if the church be invisible, how is she 
" as a city set on a hill, to be seen of all men ?" How is she 
to be a u light to the world ?" How is she to be the " pillar 
and the ground ol the truth V Error is always contradictory, 
and involves its votaries in absurdities, more or less; but truth 
is always in harmony with itself and with all other known 
truths ; and, consequently, is involved in no absurdities or con- 
tradictions. We believe that these are axioms admitted by all 
men of information, On these acknowledged first principles we 
are perfectly willing, yea, desirous, that all that we have ad- 
vanced from the holy scriptures, relative to what is a " chris- 
tian," and what is a " christian church," should stand or tall. 
If the views advanced clash with any id ell established truths cf 
nature or revelation, or are productive of any absurdities, or if 
they be productive of any injurious effects on man's moral and 
eternal interests, then they are not true. It would be tedious 
and superfluous to notice the many subtifuges of error, which 
are advanced to extenuate the unspeakable crime of destroying 
the unity of Christ's church and family. Two or three must suf- 
fice, and when we say that they are the most prominent ones, 
the reader may form an estimate of the rest. 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 175 

First — It is said to be a law of mind to delight in variety; or 
that men are created with different rapacities of mind, and that 
they instinctively pursue various objects in life, and different 
branches of knowledge. This is true, but not to the extent 
supposed, for thousands are compelled to act and to think as they 
do from surrounding circumstances and necessily ; but to admit 
it to any reasonable extent you please, we only see in it the 
wisdom and the goodness of God. The world is filled with a 
variety of useful objects for our accommodation, and they re- 
quire a variety of pursuits, and various grades of mind, to bring 
them within (he reach of all for practical use- But what has this 
law of nature to do with Christianity? This variety of mind, 
when pursuing its nwzi promptings, did produce a variety of opin- 
ions of the creation and its cause or causes; and of God, His at- 
tributes and government. But it is demonstrable that the creator 
never designed this diversity to extend to a subject of so vital 
importance as religion, or in relation to His cwn being and at- 
tributes, and man's duty to Him and to each other. No, nevetl 
If it had been so, God would never have revealed these things to 
the world through Abraham, Moses, the Prophets, and His Son, 
Jesus Christ ! These revelations, all tending to one object as 
the consummation of the whole, even to the instructions of Christ, 
who is appointed nf God the Father, the sole leader and guide 
for all " travelers to the skies." Hence this early promise of 
God: "I will i ;ise them up a Prophet (teacher) from among 
their brethren, like unto thee, (Moses,) and will put my words 
in his mouthy and he shall speak unto them all that I shall com- 
mand him; and it shall come to pass that whosoever will not 
hearken unto my words, which he shall speak in my name, 1 will 
require it of him.'' 7 Every syllable of this sentence is full of 
meaning! They show the preciseness and the consequent im- 
portance of the instruction to be given by Christ ; and, also, tho 
imperiousness of hearing His instructions exclusively, and obey- 
ing them. Does this savor of God's love of variety in religious 
opinions ? Now all you who claim to be the teachers of chris* 



176 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY, 

tianity, and make your boast of being sent by the God of 
Heaven! Hear what is said in the next verse: "But the 
Prophet (teacher) which shall presume to speak a word in my 
name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall 
6peak in the name of other gods, (or other authority,) even that 
Prophet (teacher) shall die!" These are words pregnant with 
warning to system makers! God gave men a revelation from 
Heaven, to curb the erratic wanderings of the human mind on 
the vital subject of religion, and settle them on a fixed and im- 
movable basis, and to tie down the minds of all men to the 
teachings of His Son, Jesus Christ. In all worldly knowledge 
not repugnant to His teachings, the mind is left free to roam and 
indulge in the various pursuits of science ; but there is but one 
God, and He is ever the same, and, there ore, all true knowledge 
relating to Him is the same, and the duties predicated on that 
knowledge is the same every where. This is the voice alike of 
revelation and of reason. 

Second — Another refuge ol lies is, that a multitude of sects, 
by the subdivision of the body of Christ, tends to its purity ! — 
And this is done, say they, by exposing the errors of each op- 
posing system, and holding them up to ridicule as a warning; 
or to prevent any one of them from gaining the supremacy, and 
acting over the scenes of Papal Rome Thus multiplying rogues 
to prevent thieving! This is a proof of the confidence which the 
sects have in each other. This argument is good against them- 
selves, for we are fully satisfied that if any one of the sects should 
ever gain sufficient ascendency to influence the civil power, we 
would not give a rush for the liberty of any man, tvho refused 
implicit obedience to the edicts of the Clergy of that sect in as- 
cendency ; and then, too, they would insist en the absolute ne- 
cessity of the oneness of the church ! Under this pretence they 
would base all their tyranical acts of persecution! Such is 
man, unrestrained by the teachings of Christ ! But no man 
who reads the heavenly truths contained in the New Testament 
of our Lord Jesus Christ, will dare to affirm that any body of 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 177 

men, implicitly obeying Him, would ever dream of persecuting 
-others, as the whole letter and spirit of Christianity repudiates 
it, as taught by Christ and His Apostles. Unite all the sects in 
one body> under any one of their present organizations, and the 
repose, as well as the life and liberty, of the rest of the world 
are hazarded ; but unite them, under the tuition and the laws 
of Christ's kingdom, and who will say that the world would 
not be a thousand fold better than it now is ? Yea, sinners 
would be converted from the error of their ways, and men 
would acknowledge the divinity of Christ's mission, and say, 
of a truth, this people are taught of God. In a word, to say 
that the disagreement of " christian churches" is, in any way, 
promotive of the christian religion, is a denial of the New 
Testament scriptures, and, consequently, of Christianity itself! 

The secret conviction of every tolerably informed sectarian 
clergyman is, that the oneness of the " christian church" is a 
primary truth of revelation. It cannot be otherwise, for that 
doctrine is too plainly taught, and too often and too urgently 
insisted upon by the inspired writers, not to be known by them. 
These convictions occasionally peep out, and we are fu\]y per- 
suaded that if the clergy could balance interests, and amicably 
divide the spoils among themselves, that all the pulpits 
throughout the land would groan with the weight of eloquent 
and learned arguments of its vital necessity ! , But we de- 
precate such an union, and pray that it may never take place. 

The conviction of this great and primary doctrine, as a fun- 
damental truth of revelation, no doubt distuibs the ccnscienccs 
of the more honest part of the clergy in their thoughtful mo- 
ments ; but the love of station, power and emolument, drowns 
the voice of conviction, and they shelter themselves under some 
frivolous excuse and fatal delusion. 

As a proof of this fact, the subject ol christian union of some 
kind, was much spoken of a few years back— so mi ch so, that 
a conven ion of the cleigy was, with great flourish of tiumpets, 
summoned to assemble from all pans of the world,. in the re- 

L 



178 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

nowned city of London, to make and set tip an image lor all 
people to fall down and worship ! This noted assembly was 
called the " world's convention." Thither flocked the " mas- 
ters, " "rabbins," "lights" of Christendom, and the renowned 
theologians of sectarianism, at avast expense! But of what 
account is money to them ? Their beloved flocks paid all, and 
the pleasure and glory was all their own ! But whether these 
"luminaries" of the world succeeded in accomplishing any- 
thing by a compromise of clerical and sectarian interests, or by 
an amicable division of the spoils, we have not been inform ed. 
If they have, (which Heaven forbid,) we presume that the 
world will soon be aroused from its slumbers by the thunder of 
the herald's voice, proclaiming, in the names of the " Princes, 
the Governors, the Captains, the Judges, the Treasurers, th e 
Counselors, the Sheriffs, that at what time the people should 
hear the sound of the trumpet, cornet, flute, harp, sacbut, 
psaltrv, dulcimer, and all kinds of discordency in harmony; 
they should, on pain of eternal death, worship and adore the 
great image made and set up by their ' sacred' hands ." "The 
mountain labored, and brought forth a mouse" — never was this 
saying more fully exemplified than by this " world's conven- 
tion ;" and all " disciples of Christ" should proclaim a day of 
thanksgiving to Almighty God, who confounded their councils 
— yea, and all lovers of human liberty should unite with them, 
for the next move of these Reverenecl g-entlemen would have 
been to influence their followers and disciples to unite in peti- 
tioning the governments of the professing christian countries, 
f )r a law of uniformity in faith and worship ! Then the pulpits 
would have resounded, and the press groaned with learned ar- 
guments for the essential unity of faith, and the infallibility of 
the church ! Periodical councils would issue their decrees in 
the name of the Clergy, as God's representatives, as in former 
times! " Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty." This is 
as applicable to christians as to patriots. Is not this-the voice 
of all history ? 



f-aEATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 179 

One scarcely knows whether to weep or smile at the consu- 
mate vanity and presumption of these Reverened gentlemen ! 
Were these men really in earnest, or were they acting over th e 
comic tragedies of the great patriots of the day, by throwing 
dust in the eyes of the people? Or, is it so, indeed, that the 
u god of this world — the mammon of unrighteousness — has so 
blinded their eyes, that the light of the simplicity of the glori- 
ous gospel of the Son of God should not shine in unto them?" 
That gospel wouLd have instructed them that the only way t o 
make the church one and indivisible, as God purposed she should 
be, is, for the Clergy to renounce their wickedly assumed 
" masterships," and no longer to "lord it over God's heritage." 
Let them throw all their creeds, confessions of faith, and sys- 
tems ot divinity, to the moles and bats, and come down from 
the seat of dictation ; and, as simple " disciples," set at the 
feet of the Son oi God, and " learn of Him to be meek and 
lowly of heart." Let all " God's Israel" be God's Israel in- 
deed; acknowledging but one common " master." Let each 
il assembly of disciples" select the most experienced brother, 
such as is so unerringly described by the Holy Ghost, to preside 
as overseer, and let him take heed to himself, and be an exam- 
ple to the flock in holy obedience. And, also, " lake heed to 
the church of God, over which the Holy Ghost has made him 
overseer," by guarding her from school divinity > and the "wis- 
dom of men." Then turn all theological seminaries and their 
kindred institutions into hospitals and almshouses, and appro- 
priate their immense revenues and those of the Clergy, to 
clothe the naked, feed, the hungry, and relieve the distresses of 
suffering humanity. Then Christianity will shine forth in its 
native beauty and usefulness, and become a blessing to the 
world, and a " glory to God, peace on earth and good will to 
all men." Then she will be " one with Christ, as He is one 
with the Father, and the tvorld will acknowledge the divinity of 
Christianity and its author.'' She will be the representative of 
the God of Heaven, " the light of the world," *« the pillar and 



180 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

the ground of the truth." '-God will be in the midst of her, and 
a wall of fire round about her." 

"Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is 
this : To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and 
to keep himself unspotted torn the world." 



THE INFALLIBILITY OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH CON- 
S1DERED AND PROVEN FROM TH;: PLAIN WORDS OF 
REVELATiON, TO BE ONE OF HER ESSENTIAL ATTRI- 
BUTES, AND NECESSARY TO THE REPOSE OF HER MEM- 
BERS. AND TO -HER PERPETUITY IN THE WORLD. 



The infallibility of the " christian church" (such as we hare 
proven her to be, viz; An assembly of the disciples of Christ, 
and, as such, assembled in His exclusive name, and performing 
all their acts of worship and dmipline as directed by Him,) fol- 
lows as a necessary consequence of this subjection. If. then, 
the " disciples" of the Son of God, be cf one with Him as Pie 
is one with God," in the lowest possible sense in which it can 
ba placed, they must be one in mind and purpose. The Son 
of God was one with the Father, by implicitly obeying His 
will, or by acting in conformity \o all God's commands. This 
is what Christ said of Himself. If the disciples of Christ in 
their assemblies do obey implicitly His commands, then they 
are one with Him, even as He is one with the Father. This 
position is true or false. If false, then the language of the 
Scriptures are deceptions, and calculated to mislead the upright 
reader; snd the world is yet destitute of an unerring directory 
to immortality and eternal life! Indeed, we know not whether 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 131 

there be any eternal life at all ! Bat if true, then the only re- 
maining question to be determined, is the sense in which this 
oneness is to be understood. We have assumed the very low- 
est, and this is in harmony with the whole of God's revelation, 
from Matthew to the Apocalypse. Men claim a much closer 
oneness between Christ and God, even a oneness of nature and 
of attributes ; but our argument requires no more than what 
flows from an implicit adherence to the clearly revealed word 
of God. Now, if this oneness be impossible, then it is impos- 
sible to be a christian, for the Apostle affirms that " every 
thought must be brought into obedience to Christ;'' and, also, 
11 if any man have not the spirit of Christ, he is none of His ;" 
and Christ himself said, " if 'ye continue in my words, then are 
ye my disciples indeed ;" and (here are many other expressions 
both by Christ and His Apostles, equally plain and positive, of 
the like nature. Furthermore, if it be impossible, then Christ 
desired and prayed for what was impossible ! That He did de- 
sire and pray, that His disciples might be "one with Him, even 
as He was one with God," none will dispute; and that this one- 
ness was to be effected by His words abiding in His disciples, 
is also incontrovertible. Then our position is fully established 
on the testimony of God ; for it follows, that if the words of 
Christ be infallible, those in whom His words abide and con- 
trol, must also be infallible on all subjects referred to by His 
words so abiding in them ; but none are His disciples 
but such as obey His commandments; therefore, they are infal- 
lible by obeying Christ. Of what use to men is a revelation at 
all, if it cannot be confidently relied upon as infallibly true? If 
God will not own and sanction the ac;s of "disciples" and of the 
church, when done as therein directed. And if so done, are not 
those acts infallibly correct and sanctioned by God? Again, 
of what use is it as an unerring guide, if it cannot be under- 
stood and practiced by men as designed by God? If, as 
it is admitted by all, the scriptures be an " infallible direc- 
tory," and intended for practical use, and yet cannot be so 



lS'2 f&EATISE ON CHRISTIANITY 

understood and practiced by disciples, they are a nullity; but if 
disciples can so understand and practice the precepts of Christ, 
but do not, whose fault is it ? Not God's surely I Then it is 
their own fault, and consequently, they are guilty of negligence 
and disobedience, if they are not infallible as an assembly of 
disciples of an infallible teacher. May not this be illustrated 
thus : A man, who is himself ignorant on any given subject, 
places himself under the instruction of one whom he knows to 
be unerring in his counsel; if he implicitly follows that council^ 
is he not infallibly sure of obtaining the object of pursuit? — 
Most certainly he is. Is this not equally true in all matters re- 
lating to Christianity and the church ? Is not Christ an uner- 
ring counselor to His people? And are not disciples com- 
manded implicitly to obey Him? Does He not expressly say of 
them, that " He goeth before His disciples, and they hear His 
voice and follow Him ?" Why does He caution them not to 
listen to the voice of " strangers and hirelings," if it be not to 
preserve them from error ? Does He not say also, that if " dis- 
ciples continue in His words or counsel, they shall know the 
truth and be made free?" Free from what ? Most certainly 
from error and its consequences — delusion and deception. — 
Then, \ifree from these, are they not infallible on all subjects 
so made free % It follows, therefore, of necessity, that all "dis- 
ciples indeed" of the Lord Jesus, are infallible in things per- 
taining to the faith and practice of Christianity. This consti- 
stutes them one with Christ, even as He is one with the Father, 
of one mind and purpose. Whatsoever Christ commandeth, 
that doeth the disciple. The disciple knoweth and can do 
nothing of himself; but as he heareth or learns of Him, so he 
doeth and judgeth, and his judgment is just, because he seek- 
eth not his own glory, but the glory of Him that "hath called 
him to glory and to virtue." We are, therefore, authorized to 
say that all the divisions, and errors in faith, practice and usages* 
in the professing world, is because men professing discipleship 
do not " continue in the words of Christ," and are not His 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY* 183 

" disciples indeed," but only in word; and because tbey do 
not seek the glory of God only, but their own honor and inter- 
ests. This is the true cause of all the disgraceful contentions, 
divisions, and jealousies, that now, or ever have existed in 
Christendom! Men will not "deny themselves and follow ^Christ, 
their infallible counselor and guide;" and, therefore, -cannot 
be His disciples. Say we this of ourselves, or sayeth not the 
Lord Jesus the same thing? As we hear so we judge. We 
profess to know nothing of ourselves, but we speak as a pupil 
of Christ ; he hath taught us what to say and hoiv to judge. — 
The words, therefore, that we speak are not our words, but 
such as we have learned of Christ. Why should the infallibility 
of the "christian church" seem to men a thing incredible? — 
Is not a servant expected to obey implicitly the instructions of 
his master ? And do not all good and faithful servants do so, 
and that too without the powerful motives to obedience, which 
are presented to the disciples of Christ ? Or is God such an 
unjust and tyranical master as to require that of His people 
which is impracticable ? Such is the position in which men 
place Him, who " so loved the world as to give His only be- 
gotten Son to die — the just for the unjust." When they deny 
the impossibility of implicitly obeying Christ, or of disinterest- 
edly following His counsel ! is not the obedient servant infallible 
in all he does in obeying his master, so far as duty is concerned? 
With his master's errors the servant has nothing to do — obedi- 
ence is his only duty. But if his master be infallible in his 
counsels and orders, so, also, is the servant in obeying thenv 
though ignorant of all other matters. This is all we claim for 
the "christian church," and is she not justly entitled to this 
infallibility, in consequence of her oneness and obedience to 
Christ ? 

Furthermore, all the illustrations given by the Holy Ghost, 
to exemplify her oneness with Christ, equally serve to prove 
her infallibility. The church is a body, of which He is the 
head. Now all know that a human body is destitute of all vi- 



184 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

tality and motion, when separated from its head. The mind', 
ihe controlling power which gives direction to every member of 
the body, resides exclusively in the head. If that mina be in- 
fallible in its determinations, so are the movements and deeds 
of all the members; they are one with the head. Of themselves 
they can do nothing, only as they are directed by the head. — - 
Their acts are the acts of the head. Even so, the " christian 
church" has no mind, energy, vitality, or controlling power, 
only as derived from Christ, her head. Her acts, therefore, are 
the acts of Christ. As He commands, so the church does; she 
" walks in the light as He is in the light," and this produces a 
oneness in all her actions, at all times and in all places ; io 
faith, practice, and discipline, and these are all as unerring as 
is her head. She is only an agents by whom God speaks and 
acts. The inference is conclusive', yea, it is demonstrable, 
that if Christ be infallible, so also is His body the church, in all 
things pertaining to christian duty, worship, order and discipline. 
For most certainly He has instructed "disciples" on all these 
subjects. They, as the members of the body of Christ, do the 
will of Christ, as they are instructed to pray "thy kingdom come, 
and thy loill be done on earth as it is done in Heaven." Will 
any professing christian question the propriety of this prayer? 
Admit it, and the question that the infallibility of the "chris- 
tian church" was contemplated by God, is settled. 

Again, the foundation on which the christian church is built, 
secures her infallibility. That foundation is Christ. " Other 
foundations can no man lay." Many other foundations, how- 
ever, men have laid ; yea, hundreds of others are now in 
existence, and each contrary to the other, and each opposed te 
the other ! But men have assumed this "mastership" at their 
peril, and God will repay them according to their works of 
treason and temerity. " Ye are builded on the Prophets and 
Apostles ; Jesus Christ himself, being the chief corner stone." 
Isaiah, in reference to this subject said: "Behold! I lay in 
Zion for a foundation, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a 



TSEATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 186 

Sure foundation." Precious to God as the apple of His eye, and 
infallibly sure to all that build thereon. To build on Christ is 
not simply to rely on His atonement, but to obey Him as "God's 
Prophet" and as the law-giver to the church. All other foun- 
dations are worthless, and are founded in rebellion against 
Christ, and all other obedience is vain. 

In what character are men to receive the Lord Jesus as a 
il sure foundation?" Strange as it may seem to one who learns 
of Christ, yet it is true, that this simple, and most obvious of 
all truths, has, by those who have usurped the " mastership" 
over the "household of God," been a theme of bloody and mur- 
derous contentions ever since the third century ! And it w T ould 
still be, had not the civil power of the State arrested it! These 
voluntary friends, " par excellent" of Christ, seem more tena- 
cious of the dignity and honor of their pretended master , than 
He is of himself ! The Lord Jesus has settled this fundamen- 
tal, this sure foundation of all christian hope and confidence, 
forever. " When Jesus came imo the coasts of Cesarea Phil- 
ippi, He asked His disciples, saying, 'whom do men say that I, 
the son of man am?' and they said, ' some say that thou art 
John the Baptist; some, Elias, and others, Jeremias, or one of 
the Prophets.' " These were the various conjectures of the 
honest part of the Jewish nation, predicated on His miraculous 
works. But Christ intended now to lay the foundation of His 
church, and to put an end to all surmisings and disputes on 
that most vital subject. He perfectly knew what the people 
thought of Him, and this question was only introductory to His 
purpose. Therefore, " He said unto them, c but whom say ye 
that I am ?' And Simon Peter answered, and said : £ Thou art 
the Christ, the Son of the living God.' And Jesus answered, 
and said unto him: < Blessed art thou, Simon, son of Jonah, 
for flesh and blood hath not revealed this to thee, but my Father 
which is in Heaven ; and I say unto thee, thou art Peter, and 
upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall 
not prevail against it.' " This faith is the key to the kingdom 



186 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY* 

of Heaven, with which Peter and the other Apostles, were, by 
Christ, charged to open it to all nations who received Him, as 
" the Christ, the Son of the living God ;" and to close it upon 
all who did not, to the end of time. Now, if the object of 
Christ was to settle the faith of men and the church, (which 
is one and the same,) on a " sure foundation," why did He 
not define the terms, " the Christ, the Son of the living God?" 
The reason must have been simply this : He considered the 
terms sufficiently expressive of the character in which He stood 
related to the church. " He was that Prophet whom God had 
promised to raise up from among the Jews, like unto Moses, and 
whom they should hear in all things" The woman of Samaria 
said : " We know that Messiah cometh, and when He is come, 
He will tell us all things." And this Messiah, or Christ, was 
to be "the Son of God;" "the only begotten Son of God;" "the 
annointed King of Zion," "and, like Moses," a "law-giver" to 
God's people. We are aware, that to serve the purpose of 
Clerical rebellion and Priestly assumptions, this " power of the 
keys" has been referred to Peter, personally, and to the Popes 
and their successors. This is too absurd to need refutation, as 
it is equally opposed to reason, common sense, and to the whole 
volume of God's revelation ; yea, such a thing was never 
thought of for some hundreds of years after Christ ! But not 
only does the Pope claim it as his right, but every sect among 
Protestants do the same, practically ! Their peculiar doctrines 
and usages are their keys, to open and shut the kingdom of 
Heaven; for the privileges of membership in their churches, 
are closed against all who refuse to subscribe to their contra- 
dictory and jaring opinions, as effectually as is the Pope's 
church. 

" Christ, the Son of the living God," is the only true faith 
of the " christian church," if the Lord Jesus be deemed good 
authority, the dictum of the hundreds of very learned Bishops 
in counsel assembled, to the contrary notwithstanding. " I 
thank thee, O Father, Lord of Heaven and earth, that thou 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 187 

hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast re- 
vealed them to babes ; even so. Father, for so it seemelh thee 
good." " The Christ, the Son of the living God," is the 
christian man's, and the "christian church's" sure and unerring 
guide. 

If this position be denied, then a christian man, nor yet any 
number of such men combined, can have any " sure founda- 
tion" for their faith and hope of immortality ! For, " if the 
foundation be destroyed what will the righteous do?'' And it is 
effectually destroyed if rendered in any manner doubtful. Then 
the infallibility of the church is essential to the consolation and 
salvation of her members ! " If the trumpet give an uncertain 
sound, how shall a man prepare himself for battle ?" In that 
case all would be confusion and uncertainty, and would mani- 
fest a marked neglect of duty on the part of him who command- 
ed the army. The Son of God is the ruler of His church, and 
has He neglected to order all things appertaining to her perfec- 
tion and perpetuity ? If not, then every precept, every illus- 
tration and command or doctrine, must have a plain and deffi- 
nite meaning, that they may be understood and obeyed by all — 
and it is so done. Hence He is " our wisdom." " If ye con- 
tinue in my words, ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall 
make you free?'' This is a positive assertion of Christ. Are 
we not to understand Him to mean what He said ? If we can- 
not understand this plain declaration, of what use is revelation 
at all ? But if He did mean what He said, then, by continuing 
to learn of Him, and obeying His precepts, we shall know the 
truth, and be preserved from error. This is all w r e ask. 

Again, the church is called a house, a building. Now, every 
house is built by, and for some man, and every edifice has its 
architect or designer. The beauty of the design, the perfect 
harmony of all its parts, and the finish of the whole building, 
depends upon the design, the workmen, and the perfection of 
the rule by which they work ; for it is possible that the most 
perfectly designed edifice may be totally ruined in its construe- 



188 T&EATISfc ON CHRISTIANITY. 

tion by the carelessness, or want of experience and competency 
of the workmen employed ; or by the want of care in selecting 
the materials composing it. Any prudent man, therefore, con- 
templating the erection of an edifice as a monument to posterity 
of his magnificence, taste and wisdom, would not fail to be ex- 
tremely cautious on all those essential matters, or peradventure, 
he would expend his treasure for naught ; yea, more, for it 
might stand as a monument of his ignorance, and render him an 
object of ridicule to posterity ! But God himself is the archi- 
tect and designer of His church; and His mind is harmony it- 
self, and He possesses perfect wisdom and foresight. Nothing 
then, that would conduce to the perfection of His building, 
could escape His notice and watchful care. The Prophet, re- 
ferring to this edifice, said : " Judgment also is laid to the 
line, and righteousness to the plummet." The line and the 
plummet are well known to be instruments used by all builders 
to determine the straightness and the perpendicular of their 
walls, and all other parts of the edifice; and on these depend 
the strength and beauty of the building. So that, in building 
His church, God left nothing to the discretion of fallible men ; 
for u He knew what was in man," " and that at best he is but 
vanity." Therefore, the all wise and infallible counsel of Je- 
hovah is seen, from the foundation to the completion of the 
whole structure, and that infallible counsel is offered to all who 
will apply for it, freely, without money and without price ; and 
it will be continued to all disciples until the top-stone shall be 
placed on the finished work of their redemption, from earth to 
heaven, shouting grace, grace unto it. 

To suppose that the Almighty God, contemplating the erec- 
tion of a moral and religious edifice, that should excel in moral 
grandeur and truthfulness, all the boasted wisdom of men and 
schools of philosophy, and all which Priests had invented since 
the world began, should fail to stamp on it His own image, is 
to attribute to Him imbecility and folly ! When it is known 
too, that Christ intended His church to be as a " city set on an 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 189 

eminence,'* as the " light of the world," the contemplation of 
which, was to compel men to glorify God, and to be a sanctuary 
and a refuge from error, for all among the nations of the eanh, 
who should seek after God. To have left any thing in erecting 
such a building, and for such a purpose, to the discretion of 
angels in heaven, much less frail men, would not have com- 
ported either with the wisdom of God or the magnitude of His 
object; for " He charges His angels with folly;" " as for man, 
he is less than vanity." To err with him is characteristic. — 
The world required an infallible standard of truth. This was 
the "desire of all nations." The want of an authenticated , in- 
fallible standard of truth, in relation to God, man's duty, and 
to immortality, was a subject of great solicitue to thinking men 
and to all lovers of truth in every nation. This desire was met 
by the advent of the Son of God. For this purpose the gospel 
was proclaimed by men commissioned and superhumanly quali- 
fied by Christ, "and God bearing them witness with signs, won- 
ders, diverse miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost." For this 
purpose He builded His church, all the materials of which were 
to be " elect and precious" — "Jiving stones, builded together 
into an holy templein the Lord, for a habitation of God through 
the Spirit." Not the sound, not a whisper of fallible man is in- 
ten led, authoritatively, to be heard throughout the whole; yea, 
more, it was strictly forbidden ! 

But rot only is the "christian church" infallible, because of 
her oneness, dependence, and implicit obedience to Christ, her 
head and guide, but He has pronounced her so, by conferring en 
her authority, and reposing in her trusts, which nothing short 
of infallibility can justify. He has conferred on the assemblies 
of His " disciples indeed," the awful power of binding and 
loosing, of opening and shutting the kingdom of heaven to men! 
Be not astonished, f< r this is as true as the word of God is true! 
Her decisions are ratified in heaven, and confirmed by God, 
a3 done by Himself! And so it is dope by Himself, if the 
church preserves her allegiance to Christ ; and il she does not, 



190 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY* 

she is no more His church, but has turned traitor. She is no 
longer His spouse, but she has been tampered with, and se- 
duced, and she has been made an harlot. Here are the words 
of the grant, made and confirmed to the church, as the succes- 
sor of His Apostles and of Himself: cc If thy brother shall tres- 
pass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and 
him alone ; if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother ; 
but if he shall not hear thee, then take with thee one or two 
more, that in the mouth of two witnesses every word may be 
established; and if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it to the 
church ; but it he neglect to hear the church, let him be to thee 
as an heathen man and a publican." Here is the process of 
proceeding with any delinquent member of the church, clearly 
defined. There can be no mistaking of it. If all these means 
fail, then the offender, if proven guilty of :he offence charged, 
and refuses to hear or obey the church, the alternative is 
to dismiss him, and no longer recognize him as a disciple. — 
Why ? Because he has refused to obey Christ, and he must not 
be retained one day longer in the church than he " continues in 
his words." Such is the law of Christ's kingdom, and His 
church is bound to execute it, without fear or favor, but impar- 
tially, as the representative of Christ, and the guardian of the 
interests of His kingdom and church; and as those who must ac- 
count to God for the proper use of die trust committed to them. 
As, said the Apostle of his trust, "consider us as stewards of 
God, and it is required of a steward that he ba found faithful" — 
faithful to the commands of his master. We can see no diffi- 
culty in this matter, when the "'eye is single;" "when no bribe 
blinds the eye ;" or when every selfish interest is sacrificed to 
the honor of God and the purity of His church. "But if the 
eye be evil, then the whole body is full of darkness." When 
interest and worldly honors interpose, justice and truth is dis- 
missed. This shows the wisdom of God in constituted His 
church without any offices of emolument whatever. This we 
will show in another place as He has done. 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY, 191 

In direct reference to this decision by the church, Christ 
said: "Verily, I say unto you, that whatsoever you shall bind 
on earth, shall be bound in Heaven; and whatsoever ye shall loose 
on earth, shall be loosed in Heaven." Again, "I say unto you, 
that if two of you shall agree on earth, as touching any one 
thing ye shall ask, it shall be done for you of my Father, 
who is in Heaven ; for, where two or three are gathered to- 
gether in my name, there am I in the midst of them.'' In this 
last quotation, we have an infallible definition of a christian 
church, and also of its authority. To deny this, or to attempt 
to evade it, is nothing less than to deny Christ, and to set aside 
His judgment and His authority ! And if this can be avaded, 
so, also, may any plain, unequivocal and positive precept of 
revelation whatever ; for not one is more clearly, fully and posi- 
tively expressed. "Thou shalt not steal,'' is not more plain 
and positive ! The very same power that was given to Peter 
and to the other Apostles, and to the same extent is also given 
to the church ; if that church consists of only two or three dis- 
ciples of the Lord Jesus. There is nothingeven hinted at all an- 
alagous to the present organizations of pretended christian 
churches. No " divinely authorized minister,?' whether learned 
or unlearned; and no appeal is to be had to a higher tribunal, but 
the decision is final. And why? Because there could not, by 
any possibility, be higher. The church, composed of any 
number ol " disciples indeed," is the tribunal of God himself ! 
Her judgment is God's judgment : her decisions are those of 
God, and therefore, final and infallible ! It is Christ, speaking- 
through and by the church, which is His representative on 
earth ; therefore, it is " whatsoever she binds on earth is bound 
in heaven, and whatsoever she looses on earth is loosed in 
heaven." This is the plain, positive declaration of God. Men 
may shuffle, equivocate, philosophise and object as they please^, 
all this cannot change the word of God, for " it will abide for- 
ever." "The foundation of the righteous standeth sure, having 
•this seal: God knoweth both that and they, which %H &k': v 



192 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

Another mark of distinction between a " christian church," 
and those instituted by men, is, that there are no distinctions 
of grade recognized. One tribunal for the member, and 
another for his Reverence, the Rabbin ; for all in a christian 
assembly are brethren, all equally accountable to one common 
master, and to each other. Bat the Rev. gentlemen must be 
tried by "his peers, his equals !" And who are they? "Why 
who but his brother Clergy? He must be brought before the 
house of lords, who only can duly appreciate his sacred and ex- 
alted character and privileges; and, therefore, they only are quali- 
fied to do him justice, as a brother and. an equal! These are the 
principles involved in the well known distinctions in church 
judicatories, as by men established ! This mode of procedure 
is predicated on acknowledged distinctions among men of the 
world. And here, in view of that supposed pre-eminence of 
one class of society over another, cr of one order of men over 
their fellow men, it is consistent ; but even here we cannot see 
\he justice of the thing, only in the supposition of hostility and 
hatred existing between them and their presumed inferiors. If 
this be admitted, then the proceeding is fit and proper. So, 
also, the several courts of appeal are predicated;, on the falli- 
bility of men's judgments, and on the want of discrimination, 
or interest and partiality. This is all perfectly right and judi- 
cious, where the fallible tribunals of men are concerned, and 
where men are presumed to act on worldly principles, and to be 
governed by motives of self-interest. But the tribunal of the 
"christian church" is conclusive, because it is the decision of 
God, and, therefore, infallible ; c,nd the triors, or the men com- 
posing the jury, were intended by Christ to be all his self- 
denying disciples indeed, and wcuid act accordingly, and deal 
out even-handed justice to the incoragible, and extend due 
lenity to the penitent brother, "considering that they themselves 
are in the body, and therefore, as equally liable to be overta- 
ken in a faultas their delinquent brothers whom they are trying. 
Sii$h are the xomrnands of their teacher and master : "If they 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 193 

continue in his words, then they are his disciples indeed, and 
they shall know the truth, and the truth shall make them free" 
from error To say that men cannot be free frcm error, en any 
given subject, where infallible instruction has been given ; and 
that they cannot practice it when known, is to lay the axe at 
the root of Christianity 1 And, even more than that, it is to 
exhonorate men from their obligations to obey the truth, be- 
cause of their infirmities ! What gross absurdities such a drc- 
trine wnuld lead to is easily seen. But if men do not continue 
in the words of Christ, they are not His disciples ; and if they 
be not His disciples, no number of them can make a christian 
church; and to such, infallibility is far from being attributed ! 
Their decisions are those of men, and, consequently, partake 
of all their great end small infirmities. 

B it we hare other positive proof of the infallibility of 
"Christ's eclesia" — of His " disciples indeed," assembled in 
His name, and He in the midst; for surely where the body of 
s man is, there is his head also — and Christ is the one head to 
His one body, the chnren. Of this one church Paul thus speaks, 
in his instructions to Timothy. After enumerating many things 
relating to church order and discipline, he said : "These things 
write I unto th^e, hoping to come shortly, but if I tarry long- (or 
delay my expected coming,) that thou mayest know how thou 
oughtesf to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the 
cbhrch (or assembly) of the living God — the pillar and the 
ground of the truth." This the Papal church asserts of her- 
self, and by it she means her infallibility; and the Protestants 
charge her with doing so. Then it is admitted by all, that the 
terms employed by the Apostle, clearly implies infallibility. — 
The only remaining question tc be decided is, to v. hat do they 
apply? There a^e no terms or objects in the sentence to which 
they can possibly be conceived to apply by the wildest fancy of 
the imagination, beside the living God and His church; and by 
no mode of reasoning approximating to fairness and justice, can 
they be made to apply to God, only as connected w ; th II is 



194 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY, 

church. It needs no effort of the imagination to apply the 
terms, "pillar and ground of the truth," to the church, where 
the Apostle intended they should apply — none at all. The Apos- 
tle is not discoursing to Timothy about God at all, but of the 
church of God. God is only introduced casually and incident- 
]y as the owner of the church, which latter is the only theme 
of his letter. But the thing is so evidently clear, that argument 
would only tend to darken it, if it were possible. The Protes- 
tant church makers would find no difficulty in the passage what- 
ever, if it did not completely explode their systems ; but not 
daring to affirm infallibility of their everchanging and contra- 
dictory organizations, which they have, by much ait, persuaded 
the people are christian churches, to lull them into a false se- 
curity, They are, therefore, extremely anxious to interpret 
the Scriptures so as to favor their human inventions, as do the 
Papists to favor their corruptions. 

M this were an isolated passage, that seemed opposed to 
the uniform language of revelation, in relation to the "christian 
church," then there might be found some palliation for their 
learned efforts to wrest it from its legitimate meaning or appli- 
cation ; but it is in perfect harmony with all that is said of the 
church, as constituted by Christ and His Apostles. It forms the 
great and leading theme of the New Testament, as intimately 
connected with the salvation of men ! Of this truth we have 
presented abundant evidence, of as clear and most positive a 
nature as can be conceived of. Hence said the Son of Gad in 
addressing His Father : " The glory which thou hast given me, 
I have given them, that they may be one, even as we are one/' 
What glory ? The glory, the honor of representing God on 
earth in the administration of His kingdom ! The faithfulness 
of Christ in this trust, consisted in implicitly obeying every 
command of His Father. In this, also, consisted the faithful- 
ness of the Apostles to Christ ; and in this too, consists the 
faithfulness of His church to Him. The order of Clergy, 
falsely so called, (for the term " Clergy" means God's heri- 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY, 



195 



fcage, and the Apostle Peter applies it to the body of disciples ; 
tor he tells the " elders 5 ' not to lord it over God's heritage — 
that is, over God's Clergy, and the whole nation of the Jews 
were called" God's heritage" or Clergy,) as an order then, in 
assuming to , be the church, the members are mere appen- 
dages to them, to be controlled and used by them, as best suited 
their honor or interest! You cannot please one of the " sacred 
order" better, than to admit that he is God's representative. — 
In this they can see no absurdity, though it carries on its face 
the greatest of all absurdities ! — so little skepticism have men. 
when the belief of a proposition exalts them above their fel- 
lows ! — but if it diminishes their honors it is hard to believe. — 
The term Clergy, therefore, is one of the many arrogant as- 
sumptions of the " sacred order. n The whole body of Christ's 
disciples are God's clergy, and the very fact of that <c arrogant 
order" assuming it, is a proof that they consider themselves to 
be the life and soul of the church! — and so they are in very 
truth, of their own churches ; but as an " order," they have no 
part or lot in the tC house of God, which is the church of the 
living God ; the pillar and the ground of the truth" 

We are compelled, therefore, on the authority of Christ and 
of His Apostles, to conclude that the " christian church" is in 
the purpose of God, placed exclusively under the government 
and control of His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. And He 
being her one and infallible teacher and guide, she, whilst 
faithful in her allegiance to Him, is, also, one and infallible. 

Is ihere a man to be found, who will risk his character as a 
disciple of Christ, (and if he be not His disciple, then he is no 
christian,) by denying the soundness of the premises, or the le- 
gitimacy of our conclusions ? 

h is folly to offer as an objection, the danger of admitting 
the entire truth of the conclusion, lor to deny it in its fullest 
extent, is to repudiate Christianity altogether, and to substitute 
a mongrel, and semi- Christianity in its stead. That has been 
done ; and history details the wretched consequences ! It is 



196 TREATISE ON CHUISTIANITf . 

now being done, and the effects are deplorable and clearly visi- 
ble to all ! Bat where can be found any bad consequences 
flowing from implicit obedience to Christ? Would not such 
obedience, on the contrary, make of this Golgotha, this land of 
sculls and vale of tears, a Paradise, a garden of Eden? Search 
the Scriptures, for in them ye all think ye have eternal life; and 
they are they which testify, that in Christ is light and life, aid 
no darkness at all ! In the Scriptures are contained instruc- 
tions (and all easy to be understood by the weakest capacity,) 
for all states and conditions in life, and for all possible circum- 
stances under which mortals may be placed. 

Where is the objection then? Where are the dispufers of 
this world? Are they wiser, and more merciful and righteous 
than God ? Can they mend His plan for the restoration of man 
to His image and likeness? All their boasted wisdom is with 
God, very foolishness ! Has any one of the millions of human 
beings that have been murdered, tormented and persecuted in 
countless ways, both by Papists and Protestants, been the re- 
sult of pure discipleship ? Of acknowledging the Son of God 
as King oi Zion, arid exclusive ruler and guide of Hi? church? 
Have any of them been caused by the practical acknowledg- 
ment that Christ was '.he one and only u master" of ail, and 
that all were simply disciples of Him, and nil brethren and 
equals? ? And that one possessed as much right to dictate as 
another, and that none had that right, but were pcsitivelv for- 
bidden to do so? But have they not all proceeded from the 
denial of all these plain and positive precepts of Christ? From 
presumptuous men, usurping the authority of Christ ever His 
5{ ecksia" u and lording it over God's heritage V Yes, it is .he 
principle of rebellion, and of treason against the absolute 
sovereignty of Christ, and the equality of disciples, that has 
disgraced ehrisiianity, destroyed liberty, and devastated the 
earth! It was the hoivlmg* of "wolves in sheep' scathing," that 
destroyed and scattered the sheep of His fold, and drove them 
from His pastures into the barren wastes, and the wilderness of 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 19"7 

darkness and confusion of sectarian uncertainty ! It was the 
" ministers of satan," clothed in the garments of " angels of 
light," and professing to be sent by God, that arrayed in hostile 
bands those that would otherwise have been brethren of one 
family, and children of one father! "God sowed good seed in the 
world, but whilst men slept the enemy sowed tares." Eternal 
vigilence is the price of liberty ; and of the purity of the church 
equally; disciples must assert their individual dignity, and feel 
their individual responsibility to God ; " they must contend 
earnestly for the faith once delivered to the Saints;" " be- 
lievers must not sleep as do others;" for, it was " whilst men 
slept that the enemy sowed the tares ;" and the same enemy is 
as vigilent now, as at any former period of the world ; and he 
assumes as many and as imposing disguises now, as ever 
he did . 

But the Papal church claims unity and infallibility ; and, 
moreover, on that plea she justifies all her persecutions! These 
are primitive truths, which she found it her interest to retain; 
and if, with it, she had remained a " christian church," by re- 
taining the pure and undivided sovereignty of the Lord Jesus, 
none of that black catalogue of crimes, with which she is so 
justly charged, would have been perpetrated by her. But it 
was her rebellion and treason that made her the scourge of 
earth and the engine of satan ! But who, and what is she? — 
She is the " Papal church" — the Pope's church — governed and 
controlled by the decrees of councils. And who composed 
those councils ? A set of wicked, ambitious, aspiring, vindic- 
tive and turbulent men ! This is her foundation : Obedience 
to their decrees and to the Pope's, is the vitality and bond of 
union to all Papists! The term " Pope" signifies "Father." 
He is, therefore, the father of the Papal household, to whom all 
the members are instructed to look up to for nourishment and 
guidance ! This is in direct violation of a positive precept of 
Christ, which is this : " Call no man your father on earth, for 
one is your father, even God." It does not follow then, that 



198 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

because the "christian church 5 ' is one, indivisible and infalli- 
ble, that the " Papal chisrch" is so also. That would be all 
one as to infer that because a man is an animal, therefore, all 
animals are men ! This would be equally true. 

But are the Protestant sects any more u christian churches 55 
than is the Papal ? Not at all ! For they stand on the very 
same foundation, viz : The decrees of councils, and the opin- 
ions of men ! They are equally the fruits of rebellion against 
God, and against His Son, Jesus Christ I Do not cry out 
heresy ! infidelity ! for we can establish what we have said be- 
yond controversy. You may, indeed, as the Ephesian did. 
when set on Paul by the shrine makers of their goddess, divert 
the attention of the people from impartially examining our evi- 
dences ; by exclaiming " our religious systems came down from 
God out of Heaven !" "He has owned and blessed them !" — 
Strong argument, if true ! Then the God you worship is not 
the God of Heaven, nor the author of Christianity ! For " the 
Lord, our God, is one God ; He changeth not." He cannot 
deny or contradict Himself ; and this He must do, if He blesses 
and owns your sectarian systems. He is like the heathen god, 
Janus, having many faces, and owns and blesses glaring c©n- 
tradictions, heresies, lies and truth, indiscriminately ! And 
this is so from your own confessions ; for all the sects have 
charged each other with heresies, lies, false teachings, and as 
deceivers of the people ! 

We will now proceed with our proofs that they are not 
" christian churches," any more than is the Papal church. — 
Out of hundreds of sects we will select a few of the most promi- 
nent and orthodox of them. 

The first is called " the Lutheran church." This associa- 
tion of men derives its name and characteristic identity, and its 
life and being, from Martin Luther, of Saxony, in Germany. — 
This man was a monk of the " order of Augustin ;" that is, he 
was a Sectarian, one who held the peculiar doctrines taught by 
another man, named "Augustin," and the order associated for 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 199 

the purpose of propogating and perpetuating the doctrines of 
their master ; and Luther preferred him to St. James, the Apos- 
tle of Jesus Christ ! All history represents Luther as a man of 
strong passions ; of a turbulent temperment, and fond of con- 
troversy. It will be recollected that in the Papal church, a 
variety of sects existed, who maintained doctrines differing one 
from the other, hut were tolerated by the Popes so long as they 
supported his supremacy. The doctrinal quarrels of these dif- 
ferent sects were incessant and violent, and they hated each 
other with a mortal hatred ; but all professed to idolize the 
Pope, and his authority was always sought after by the con- 
tending factions, to silence their opponents. The sect which 
chanced to be the most influential at the court of Rome, was 
sure of victory. At the time of which we are speaking, the 
"order of Dominicans, " or the disciples of a man named Do- 
minic, enjoyed the " holy father's" favor, and were all power- 
ful with the Pope, Leo X. On these, therefore., were con- 
ferred the $ourt favors, and this of 'consequence, -excited the 
jealousies of other sects, and they hated the Dominicans the 
more, or else the minor sects courted their favors. The Pope 
at this time, wishing to replenish his exhausted treasury, (as 
most monarchs do on such occasions,) stretched his perogative, 
(under the specious pretence of promoting religion of course ;) 
and extended the sale of indulgencies beyond the bounds of the 
" decree of councils ;" and most Papists contend that the 
Pope's authority is limited by those decrees. This was then an 
open question with orthodox Papists, and it was, therefore, a 
fair subject of controversy. The emoluments and profits derived 
from a large commission for selling the indulgencies, was con- 
ferred on the Pope's favorites, the Dominicans. So that Martin 
Luther had a fair opportunity to gratify his love of controversy, 
and his sectarian hatred of a rival order ; and, also, a wide 
field ior the display of his theological attainments^ and yet be 
an orthodox Papist. And Luther did, two years after his oppo- 
sition to the abuse of the sale, and of the extravagant virtues as- 



200 TRSAT1S2 ON CHRISTIANITY. 

cribed to indulgencies by Tetzel, (and for which Tetzel himself 
was abandoned by the Pope, and died in disgrace,) declare that 
he (Luther,) ''adored the Pope, and would have committed mur- 
der, and have aided others to commit murder in defence cf the 
Pope's prerogatives !" He declared, also, that in opposing 
Tetzel, his only object was to protect the Pope and the Papal 
church from the charge of avarice and disgrace ! But whilst as 
a good PapLt, he had opposed the conduct of Tetzel, in his 
scandalous sale of indulgences-, he declared his profound rever- 
ence for the authority of his adored lord and master, the Pope ; 
and his attachment to the legal institutions of the Papal church ; 
and, also, his determination to bow submissively to her decisions, 
legally expressed , and to the decision of the Pope, and humbly 
begged for an impartial hearing in his defence. Or if that 
could not be obtained, he would be content and remain forever 
silent on all the controverted subjects, even indulgencies ; and 
be a dutiful son of u holy mother church," if his holiness 
would only condescend to silence his enemies, the Dominicans! 
This is a record of the time — yea, of Protestant history. This 
proposition of Luther as a Papist, was a fair one. But the 
Dominicans as a sect, had been deeply wounded, and they felt 
the smart, and thirsted for revenge ; and they knew their influ- 
ence with Leo, the Pope, was not to be resisted by him. Leo 
tried hard to save Luther, but Luther's enemies were implaca- 
ble, and would be content with nothing short of his death, or 
of unconditional recantation of all he had said or written ; and 
this would have degraded the " great Theologian and contro- 
vertist" in the sight of all Germany, and of the world ! To 
such a man as Martm Luther, death, in its most fearful aspect, 
' was preferable to such a degree of humilliation! He had as- 
cended too high on the ladder of fame, to brook such a fall ! — 
Life itself would have been a curse to him under such a weight 
of degradation! The result of the contest was Luthers excom- 
munication ; and this was wrung from Leo, who was, in the 
parlance of the world, a gentleman, a man of learning, good 



TREATISE ON CHS.ISTIA2UTY. 201 

breeding, and fond of company, and he much admired Luther's 
talents and learning. " Brother Martin is a man of fine genius, 
and this controversy is only a monkish quarrel." Such was 
Leo's opinion, and so he expressed himself when urged to pro- 
ceed against Luther. 

But fortunately for Luther, and for the world too, the weight 
of clerical rule and exactions had so long and so heavily pressed 
upon the people, and the princes too, that a long and loud cry 
for a thorough reform in the church, had been heard long be- 
fore Luther's time. This cry had proceeded from whole na* 
tions. They had long groaned under the iron yoke of the Papal 
hierarchy, and panted for deliverance. The people and their 
princes, therefore, rallied around the excommunicated monk ; 
and the thunder of the Vatican, which formerly made emperors 
and princes tremble and submit, had now* lost its potency, and 
fell harmlessly at Luther's feet ! " The school master had been 
abroad." Printing had been invented some sixty years before 
Luther, and the gross darkness had been gradually receding. — 
Men began to think and were waking out of their long slum- 
bers. The various streams of knowledge were uniting and 
forming a mighty river, which nothing could withstand. From 
all parts of Europe, a cry, long and loud, had been sounded 
for many years before Martin Luther was born, demanding a re- 
form of the Papal church; and these demands had proceeded from 
such sources as would not have brooked a much longer delay.— 
Several monarchs had openly declared for, and were insisting 
on, a reformation, long before Luther; and that, too, for a 
thorough reform — fully as much of a reform, if not more, than 
Martin Luther intended before his excommunication became 
inevitable. On these accounts it was that Luther's excommu- 
nication proved so harmless. His own sovereign, the great, 
good and wise Frederick, the most prudent, cautious and pow- 
erful prince in Germany, next to the emperor — and he, him- 
self, had refused the imperial purple, and bestowed it on Charles 
of Spain — this great prince, and many other princes, with a 



202 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

large majority of the people of Germany, protected him from all 
harm. If, therefore, popular applause could stimulate a man to 
resist tyrany, Luther had it on his side from the very first, and 
he was exceeding slow in yielding to the popular voice ; and it 
is manifest, from his own words, that if he could have obtained 
terms, even to the abandonment of all the points in controversy, 
he would have renounced the demands of the people and their 
just cause of complaint, and have remained a faithful and fast 
friend of the Pope ! But his rivals and bitter enemies, proved 
too powerful at court. The Dominicans triumphed, and Martin 
Luther was expelled from the Papal church ; and being expelled 
he became bitter against his former adored lord and master, and 
set about doing him all the injury he possibly could. The 
magazine was filled with combustible materials, and Luther, the 
Augustin Monk ^unintentionally threw in a lighted match, and to 
his astonishment and regret, it exploded! He saw the mischief 
he had done to "holy mother church," but, alas! it was too late to 
remedy it ! Behold ! what a great fire a little matter kindleth. 
Martin Luther, finding himself cast off from the Pope's 
church, and supported by his prince and the popular voice, 
laughed defiance at his former master, and set up for himself. 
And this is the rise of the " Lutheran church." And what is 
it ? Luther in the place of the Pope ! Martin Luther, aided 
by Melancthan, drew up a form of religion, which he called 
Christianity. It is styled "the Augsburg Confession of Faith." 
To this confession of faith, all the members of his church sub- 
scribe, as the true exposition of Christianity ; and her teachers 
dare not see differently from Martin Luther. They must think 
as he directs them, and teach as he commands ! All her mem- 
bers are baptized into Luther ! — yea, into obedience to Martin 
Luther, a former resident of Saxony ; so that it is very appro- 
priately called " the Lutheran church," being composed of the 
disciples and followers of Luther, as those of the " Papal 
church" are of the followers of the pope. What the Pope said 
was Christianity, so say the Papist, and they promise in bap- 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 203 

tism so to continue to believe. Now the only difference be- 
tween these two churches is, that they are beptized into con- 
trary faiths ; each asserting that the other is false ! 

The second example is the Church of England — so called 
because her faith was decreed by parliament, and made binding 
on the people of England by law. The reigning monarch is 
the supreme head of that church ; his or her control is exercised 
through the medium of two Arch Bishops and twenty-four 
Bishops. These men are appointed and hold their places by 
the will of the Prince, whether male or female ; so that the 
Monarch is the absolute ruler of the church ! These Bishops 
receive from fifty to one hundred thousand dollars per annum, 
besides splendid palaces to live in. This is for their laborious 
services of eating, drinking and pleasure taking ! 

The form of Religion as adopted by this church, is the work 
of a man named Thomas Cranmer ; at first a Bishop of the 
Papal church, but having procured for his " royal master," 
Henry VIII, King of England — one of her most profligate 
monarchs — a divorce from his second wife, that he might marry 
another woman, was, as a reward for his service, made Primate 
of all England. Cranmer was first a Papist, then a Henryite, 
next a Protestant, then again a Papist, and then a Protestant 
again ! Her standard of truth is contained in an " instrument 
of writing," called " the thirty-nine articles." Her teachers 
are all sworn to interpret the Scriptures so as to correspond with 
these " thirty-nine articles ;" and all her members are baptized 
into that faith ! Here then, is a church baptized into obedience 
to the King and Parliament ; enlightened by master Thomas 
Cranmer, who died a Protestant because they would not let Mm 
live a Papist! We can only judge of men by their actions. — 
So estimating Cranmer, he appears on the page of history as a 
very vacillating and unprincipled man. Henry VIII died in 
what is called " the Catholic faith," and an enemy to Protes- 
tantism. Cranmer was, by him, appointed one of the execu- 
tors of his will. The heir to the throne was a minor. That 



20 i TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

will ordered the maintainance entire, of the established religion, 
as organized by Henry, and Thomas Cranmer, his own favorite 
Primate, who had aided Henry in all his schemes and plans. — 
Cranmer was sworn to sustain his last will, as an executor ; he 
did not do so, but he joined with the other executors, and 
changed the form of religion, and established another iaith, con- 
forming to Luther's notions. But when Mary came into power, 
Cranmer was charged with high treason. Hoping to save his 
life, he recanted his Protestant faith, and again turned Papist ; 
but finding that this would not save him, he again renounced 
it, and turned Protestant ; so that it is difficult to determine 
what was his faith, or whether he had, honestly, any faith or 
not. His principles seem to have been to keep favor with the 
strongest party. Such is the origin of the Protestant Episcopal 
church, and such its foundation. 

There is, also, the." Calvinistic Church" — so called from a 
man named Jo Jin Calvin, a Frenchman, but resident of Geneva, 
in Switzerland. She receives the expositions of Calvin as the 
truth of Christianity. Her standard of truth and bond of union 
is the "Westminster confession of faith," and all her members 
are baptized into obedience to the faith taught by John Calvin. — 
The Holy Scriptures must be made to speak as he supposed 
them to speak; and no teacher of that church dare interpret 
them otherwise. Her distinguishing doctrine is, " uncondi- 
tional election and leprobation," by which they mean that God 
determined before the world was created, the persons and the 
numbers of all that will be saved ; and for those persons, and 
for that number, alone, all the mighty efforts of Jehovah are 
employed to save ! For them only, Christ was made flesh, 
taught, suffered, died, rose again, ascended to Heaven, and now 
intercedes with God. For them only, the Gospel was pro- 
claimed by the Apostles; ana for them God lias continued a 
" living ministry" in the world, and their only concern is, to pay 
the Preacher for telling them the good news ! None of these 
can be lost, and no others can be saved !— so said " master' 5 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 205 

and " rabbi," John Calvin, end so say his disciples ! This 
institution is Calvin's "eclesia" — an assembly of" Calvinists," 
and composed of his followers. 

There is, also, the Methodist Episcopal Church — she is 
composed of the disciples and followers of an Englishman, 
named John Wesly. His interpretations of the Scriptures are, 
by them, received as the truth of Christianity! All her mem- 
bers are baptized into his faith, and obedience to his expositions! 
Her government is a pure, irresponsible hierarchy. Her Minis- 
ters claim to govern their followers " by divine right," and 
openly declare this in America, and in the 19th century ! and 
their disciples believe it! These men have subjected their 
membership, under strong inducements, to obedience to their 
wills, by holding possession in their own right, of all the pro- 
perty of the connexion, embracing churches, parsonages, grave 
yards, books', and very extensive printing establishments, be- 
sides other investments, amouming to two millions of dollars, 
all of which have been purchased and collected by their follow- 
ers, and made over to their exclusive control! All are deeded 
to trustees, selected by the Clergy in trust r or them. Every 
office in the church is at the absolute disposal of the Clergy, 
and none of the property can be touched without their consent. 
They are absolute dictators by "divine right, 11 over all things, 
whether property or conscience! 

The Inst example we shall give, is called " the Methodist 
Protestant Church." She was originally composed of such as 
"protested'' against the "divine right" of the Clergy of the 
Methodist E. Church to absolute control. For this offence, and 
for no other, they were arraigned under the fatal charge of 
" speaking ewl of God's ministers." They were tried by men 
selected by the Clergy themselves — creatures of their own. nrd 
of consequence, condemned and expelled. And of others, who, 
seeing the sword coming, and nohope of escape, but by humble 
submission to clerical authority or expulsion, they accepted of 
the eracious boon of " mother church," and withdrew. These 



206 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

formed an association of their own, retaining, however, John 
Wesly as their leader and guide in matters of faith. 

Beside these, there are hundreds of others, established on 
like foundations. Now, we appeal to all candid, reasonable, 
and disinterested men, whether or not, any of them can, by a 
Scriptural construction of the term " christian church," lay 
claim to that appellation? But are not all such organizations 
counterfeits ? They most certainly are ; and ihey only pass 
current, because (to use an appropriate figure,) the standard 
coin, with the king's stamp affixed, has been so long kept out of 
sight by the false coiners, that it is totally unknown to men ! — - 
Hence the spurious is not detected ; but we have, by a diligent 
search in the royal treasury, found and exhibited the only legal 
standard. What then entitles them to the name and character 
of" christian churches," more than a spurious gold coin is en- 
titled to be called a legal one ? The counterfeit is colored 
with gold, and by their makers are circulated as genuine. — 
Even so the authors of those institutions call ihem christian 
churches, and impose them upon the credulous people as such, 
by coloring them with a small portion of Christianity ; and this 
they are enabled to do more effectually than the coiner of 
spurious money, because the pure and legal coin is so well 
known, that everyone can institute a comparison, and if the 
counterfeit be not well executed, it is soon detected, and the 
makers and venders punished for their knavery. This is not 
the case with churches, for those who make them, and whose 
interest it is to increase their circulation, claim to be authorized 
to do so, and to determine their legality ; and to this claim the 
people assent, and by keeping the legal and loyal standard out 
of sight or covered by rubbish, these counterfeiters of Christi- 
anity have monopolized the trade in religion. Like indepen- 
dent and petty sovereignties, each sect issues its own coinage, 
stamped with the seal and authority of its founder, and every 
effort is made to give it currency. 

All these associations lack the elementary materials of a 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 207 

-'christian church," which is " discipleship." The Papists 
are the disciples of the Pope — unquestionably they are, for they 
do not learn of Christ ; they do not hear His voice nor follow 
Him ; they do not "continue in His words," and, therefore, are 
not His disciples ; but they do learn of the Pope, they hear his 
voice and follow him ; he is their leader and guide. They are 
truly Papists, and their church is an assembly of Papists ; and 
it is equally the case with all the rest. Each is the Pope or 
the "father" — the teacher and leader of their respective parties. 
None of them are, in the estimation of God, the "disciples in- 
deed" of His Son Jesus Christ ; neither are they in fact or in 
reason. How then is it possible for them to be " christian 
churches?" Can the followers of the expositions of the Pope, 
of Luther, of Calvin, of Cranmer, of Wesly, and of hundreds 
of others, and all differing and charging each other with false- 
hoods, lying, and as corruptors of the Gospel, obey Christ 
by receiving such contrary instructions ? Can they at the 
same time be obeying the words of Christ and continuing 
therein, and also the expositions of their "masters ?" Reason 
and common sense would, unhesitatingly, pronounce it impos- 
sible. " No man can serve two masters" at the same time. — 
If he wishes to do so, one must wait until the other is served.-— 
The thing carries an impossibility on its very face. Can any 
reflecting, rational person say, "I will learn of Christ/' and not 
read His instructions as words to be understood by him, with- 
out an interpreter, and those interpreters not infallible? Can a 
man say I will read the Scriptures, that I may know the will 
of God, and do it as it may appear to my judgment, and at 
the same time promise obedience to the already made up opin- 
ions of another man ? The very moment a man makes that 
promise, he ceases to be a disciple of Christ. He prohibits 
himself the free exercise of his own judgment ; he pre -judges 
ihe Scriptures; he places a "master" over him, other than 
Christ, and if he would be honest, and fulfil his promise to 
that " master," he must, to flatter himself that he is obeying 



208 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

Christ, make God's words correspond with what he has before 
promised to obey. This at once destroys untrammeled obedi- 
ence to Christ. Such promises utterly destroys the first and the 
indispensible principles of discipleship, which is a teachable 
mind and a rediness to renounce every thing for obedience to 
Christ. Our idea is thus expressed by the Apostle: "Every 
thought must be brought into obedience to Christ. 5 ' Now, all 
such promises renders a compliance with this command <f God, 
impossible. Therefore, it is impossible to "serve two masters" 
— " we must cleave to the one and forsake the other" — there is 
no alternative. If we will call men, or submit to them as 
" masters and father's," and look to them for guidance, we can- 
not be the disciples of Christ ; we cannot call Him " master," 
or be lead by Him. 

The " christian church" has but one faith, K ut here are as 
many faiths as sects; she lias but one baptism, and all disciples 
are baptized in obedience to that one faith ; But here, men are 
baptized into obedience to numerous faiths. Such is the fact, 
for when adult candidates present themselves for baptism, the 
creed of the seat is repeated to them, (and that creed is the work 
of the founder of the sect,) and the question is proposed, "will 
you be baptized in this faith?" And the most of the churches 
when infants are baptized, demand of their parents or spon- 
sors, to train them up in the fauh or cread of th At particular 
sect. They are baptized in that faith, so there are as many 
faiths and as many baptisms, as there are sects ! These prac- 
tices are in direct opposition to the plain, positive and undenia- 
ble assertion of God, for Paul said, " there is one faith and one 
baptism." 

The "christian church" has but "'one Lord," and Christ's 
disciples " one master." Both of those terms imply the same 
thing, and means ruler, or controller; bat here, are as many 
masters as sects, faiths and baptisms; and all their members 
are baptized into the particular faith, made and proposed by 
those numerous "'lords and masters!" 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 209 

" There is only one Body, one Spirit, one Hope, one Lore!., 
one Faith, one Baptism, and one God and Father of all, who is 
above all, and through all, and in all." This is the language 
of God, in reference to His church, and this constitutes her one, 
indivisible, and infallible. If these words of the Apostle can be 
construed so as to apply to the variety, contradictory, and op- 
posing sectarian institutions, denominated christian churches, 
then words cannot convey ideas, language has no deffinite mean- 
ing, and is, therefore, useless! This is the consequence of en- 
deavoring to reconcile error with truth. The glaring absurdity 
of the sectarian claims should cause all honest men to reflect. — 
All the hopes of the world, where the Holy Scriptures are re- 
ceived, rest on being members of that one body, of which Christ 
is the head, and that one body is the one visible church militate 
on earth, the "pillar and the ground of truth." And this one 
church is composed exclusively of the " disciples indeed 1 ' of 
the Lord Jesus Christ, the cc Son of the living God." 

Whether it be better to believe and obey God or man, all 
those interested are left to determine for themselves. God has 
presented them the alternative! — "Ye cannot serve too masters.'' 

But it will be said, do not all the sects baptize their subjects 
in the " name of Father, Son and Holy Ghost ?" Yes they 
do. But what is understood by the candidate by such a phrase 2 
If he or she understands anything about it at all, it is simply 
this : That God exists in three distinct persons, " Father, Son 
and Holy Ghost." If some few understand anything more, it 
is that the Clergyman baptizes them by the authority of the tri- 
une God. If this be denied, and it be asserted that they are 
baptized into obedience to God exclusively, we would ask them 
who are the baptized to look up to as the exponents of God's 
will? Most certainly not to the Lord Jesus Chris! ! for previous 
to receiving baptism they have been instructed to believe in, 
and been required to promise obedience to the creed of the sect 
so receiving them, which creed is the exposition of God's word 
by the "father" and founder of the sect into which thev are 



210 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY, 

admitted! They are, therefore, in deed and verity made the dis- 
ciples of those " fathers" and founders, and are baptized into 
obed ience to them ! As a further proof of the kind cf obedience 
required of members by sectarians, is, that if any one or more 
members be of an enquiring mind, and by investigating the Holy 
Scriptures, finds it his duty as a christian, to be the disciple of 
Christ, and to obey Him exclusively as the only authorized ex- 
ponent of God's will, they are arraigned and expelled as un- 
worthy of their fellowship! The creed and expositions of the 
" lather's" and founders of the sects, are made the standards of 
doctrine and discipline in all cases. It is manifest, therefore, 
that sectarian baptism, in the u name of Father, Son and Holy 
Ghost," is a mere form and disguise, and is "made utterly void 
of all practical effects, by the traditions of the fathers." We 
are, then, fully justified in saying, as we have said, that there 
are as many faiths, and as many baptisms, as there are sects ; 
and submission and obedience to these different faiths, is re- 
quired of all who fellowship with them ! 



PART THE FOURTH. 



THE GOVERNMENT OF A CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 

The Lord Jesus has settled a Permanent form of Government for His Church, 
and placed all Authority in the hand3 of Discir le3, when Associated in His 
Exclusive Name, and under His Control. 



It is said that Christ nor His Apostles directed any specific 
form of church government, but left it to the wisdom of men, 
and to be accommodated to times and to circumstances! Now, 
if God had purposed to stamp pure disinterestedness and infal- 
libility on all rulers of His church every where, and through 
all time, there might be some common sense in this assertion ; 
but seeing that such is not the fact, it is downright nonsense, 
and a libel on the wisdom and the goodness of the Almighty. 
The learned Moshiem, in his History of the Church, thus 
speaks : " Neither Christ himself, nor His holy Apostles, have 
commanded anything clearly and expressly concerning the ex- 
ternal form of the church, or the precise method according to 
which it should be governed. Hence we may infer that the re- 
gulation ot this, in some measure, (who is to limit the extent ?) 
was to be accommodated to time, and left to the wisdom and 
prudence of the chief rulers, both of State and Church!" Such 
is the judgment of the "learned Clergy" on this vital subject of 
Christianity! But the glaring absurdity of such an assumption 
which he had learned in the schools of theology, compelled him 



212 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

as a candid historian, to add the following surmise : " If, how- 
ever, it be true that the Apostles acted by divine inspiration, 
and in conformity with the commands of their divine master, 
(and who doubts this?) it follows that the form of government 
which the primitive church borrowed from that of Jerusalem, 
the first christian church established by the Apostles themselves, 
must be termed of divine origin and institution " Now, we 
do not admit that the church at Jerusalem was a pattern for 
others, but that the very same divine authority which established 
it, also organized all other Apostolic churches every where •, 
and that all were alike. But hear Dr. Moshiem again : " The 
people were undoubtedly the first in authority., for the Apostles 
shotted by their example that nothing of moment was to be done 
or determiner], without the consent of the assembly. It was for 
the people to chose their rulers and teachers. They also con- 
firmed or rejected laws proposed by their rulers ; excommunica- 
ted unworthy members: lestored the penitent, and passed judg- 
ment on all matters of controversy that arose in the assembly; ex- 
amined and decided all disputes between Elders and Deacons ; 
and, in a word, the people exercised all that authority which 
belongs to sovereignty." The knowledge of the Scriptures ana 
of primitive usage, taught Moshiem this much, and as an im- 
partial historian he was compelled to admit it ; but that the 
truth in the case was reluctantly admitted by him is evident, 
and the interested Clergyman plainly shows himself in the fol- 
lowing language : " But from this it would be wrong to con- 
clude that such a form is immutable, and to be invariably ob- 
served, for a great variety of events may render it impossible!" 
What then, Dr. Moshiem ? " The church must be accommo- 
dated to the times, and to the wisdom and prudence of the chief 
rulers of Church and of the State !" What strange inconsis- 
tency ! The wisdom of God must yield to the superior wisdom 
of men ! A divine institution must be prostituted to the views 
and the interests of vain and corrupt men, in Church and State. 
This opens a wide door for every corrupt invention. No 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 213 

wonder that the church is torn assunder into hundreds of 
factions. To such sentiments as these, which are sustained by 
the whole order of Clergy, is due the satanic glory of destroy- 
ing the purity and the integrity of the church of the living God. 

But what is yet more surprising, those men are called " doc- 
tors of divinity !" — men " learned in the knowledge of the 
Scriptures !" Such " learned" gentlemen may find their inter- 
est in this pliability of Christianity, but the inspired volume does 
not represent it as quite such an accommodating thing. What! 
a kingdom without a government ? Was such a thing ever 
heard of? Are the souls of men of so little worth, as not to 
claim the attention of Gjd ? They are not so represented in the 
Holy Scriptures ; from whence then could such an absurd idea 
have originated ? It could not have proceded from God, be- 
cause it involves too many absurdities ; and, also, because it is 
opposed to all revelation ! Why is the church called a " king- 
dom," if there be no king to govern ? It happened at one 
time, that there was no king in Israel, then every man done as 
he pleased — " as seemed good in his own eyes !" — and that 
will ever be the case, under like circumstances. 

But the christian dispensation is called not only a "king- 
dom," but "the kingdom of Heaven" — "the reign of God," or 
God's government. " Repent, for the kingdom of Heaven is 
at hand." With these words, Christ opened His mission. — 
How say some then, who claim to be "masters in Israel," that 
Christ directed no form of Government? Is He a king in name 
only, and not in fact? Now this truly rediculous notion, that 
Christ has directed no form of government for His church, is 
extremely accommodating to the interests of men. It could not 
have been more so, if God had designed it on purpose to accom- 
modate their notion of things. Only reflect for one moment, 
and any man of common understanding, will be ashamed to 
say that God left His church without settling a proper form of 
government ! Has God so little regard for His people, as to 
leave them to the caprice of men ? Yet such is the fact, if these 



214 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

Reverened gentlemen are to be believed ! Would any earthly 
monarch, having a small share of prudence, and of regard for 
the well being of his kingdom, the peace and prosperity of his 
people, leave them to the tender mercies of political aspirents ? 
What would be the consequence of such conduct? Would not 
factions spring up all over the empire, and a partizan war ensue, 
with all its thousand evils ? Instead of peace, union and fellow- 
ship, and other blessings of a wise and good government, there 
would be anarchy, hatred, rivalry and discord ! All this too, 
would be properly chargeable to the indifference of the king ! 
His own reputation would suffer by such conduct ! No well 
disposed persons, who prized peace and harmony, would choose 
to become his subjects ; and all that could, with any prospect of 
bettering themselves, would leave it. The name of sueh a 
monarch would be handed down on the page of history to be 
execrated ! And this is the condition in which those Reverened 
gentlemen would place the eternal God ! The blush of shame 
should crimson their cheeks! Behold what self-interest will 
bring men to ! 

Daniel thus speaks of Christ's kingdom : u In the days of 
those kings shall the God of Heaven set up a kingdom, which 
shall not be destroyed ; and the kingdom shall not be left to 
other people, and it shall stand forever." What else can be un- 
derstood by " setting up a kingdom ," than the enactment 
of statutes and laws, and ordering all things relating to govern- 
ment ? What else can be meant by " not giving this kingdom 
to other people," but that the " God of Heaven," "who set it 
up" will retain its management in His own hands ? These are 
the only fair conclusions deduceable from the words of the 
Prophet; " and it shall stand forever." This agrees with the 
words of the Apostle : " The word of the Lord endureth for- 
ever, and this is that word which is proclaimed unto you by the 
Gospel." All admit that Daniel referred to the kingdom of 
Christ. The christian, then 3 can say as did the Jews, " The 
Lord is our law-giver, the Lord is our King ;" and Christ said : 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 215 

K My kingdom is not of this world." And again, it is said of 
God, in reference to this kingdom: "Rule thou, in the midst of 
thine enemies;" and Christ referring to Himself as the annointed 
King of Zion, said: "Call no man master on earth, for one is your 
master, even Christ, and all ye are brethren. " What could Christ 
have meant by this positive injunction? Did He not mean that 
His disciples should submit to the control of none but Himself, 
in matters relative to His kingdom and His teachings? Can His 
words be made to imply anything else? He also said, " Ye 
call me lord and master, and so I am ;" and again, " Ye cannot 
serve two masters." Paul said, "Who art thou, that judgeth 
another man's servant ? To his own master he standeth or 
falleth. " And yet again, " Every thought shall be brought into 
obedience to Christ." 

But the church is called "the household of God." He, of 
consequence has organized and arranged all things conducive 
to the happiness and prosperity of His household. We would 
form a very unfavorable estimate of a man's regard for the moral 
and religious instruction and general management of his family, 
if he had established no permanent and settled rules for their 
proper training, but had left it all to the caprice of others, to 
fashion it as might suit their interests best. Such indifference 
is only to be found in the more depraved portion of mankind. — 
All men of reflection well know, that the future good or bad 
character of the members of a family, very much depends on 
the government of the household ; therefore, a wise and good 
man feels a deep interest in the proper discipline of his family. 
Not only does the well being of his offspring depend on good 
training, but, also, his own character as a father, for he lives in 
his children, they bear his name and are his representatives. — 
Such a man will consider nothing too trifling to claim his at- 
tention, that may have a bearing on the health and morals of 
his family. True, the most wise and benevolent among men 
may, and do, differ, as to the best method of discipline ; but few, 
however, differ as to the necessity of forming a good character ; 



216 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

but the best means to obtain that object is often various in differ- 
ent households. This difference originates from the want of 
perfection of knowledge on the part of men, and on this account 
they find it necessary to change their mode of procedure, in rela- 
tion to the management of their household ; but in no case will 
?. prudent and benevolent parent leave the management of his 
children to other hands. Now, as all this is strictly true of 
wise, good and prudent men, how say some then, that God cares 
less for His household ? For christians are all the children of 
God by faith in Jesus Christ. Of whom it is said " he that 
keepeth Israel, neither slumbers nor sleeps ;" and, " a woman 
may forget her child, but I will not forget thee," says God.— 
Wise and good men have been known, when called from home 
for a length of time, to leave behind them written rules for the 
government of their families during their absence, with rigid in- 
junctions for their strict observance; and all know that the very 
best government is useless, if its regulations are not enforced. — 
Now all this care for a man's family is no strange thing, but it is 
the natural result of parental love. It would, however, be 
strange if it were not so. Are the very best parents to be com- 
pared with God, for wisdom, prudence and goodness ? Yet the 
supposition that he has directed no form of government for His 
household, makes Him inferior to all good and prudent parents ! 
To leave them to be cared for by strangers. Why, that would 
be making a barbarian of the Most High ! W r hat! not to pro- 
vide all good things for His disciples, who are one with Him. 
even as he is one with God, and who are of His flesh and of 
His bones, and for whom He poured out His most precious 
blood! To leave those who are heirs of God, and joint heirs 
with himself, to selfish and interested men, to be fashioned to 
suit their purposes ! This is too absurd, and yet such is the 
fact, w r e are gravely told by " learned teachers of the church ! 5 " 
Verily, such teachers are dangerous guides of the blind. 

Again, Christ represents Himself as a shepherd, whose own 
the sheep are ; and He says most positively, that He will not 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 217 

entrust them to the care of " strangers ;" and, more especially, 
to "hireling" shepherds! By " strangers" are meant any man 
and all men, save himself; and he gives as a reason, that the 
sheep, not being their own property, they will not feel the same 
care for them as their owner does. This is proof that He meant 
all but Himself. Now if those ''learned andReverened gentle- 
men" will say that the members of their churches are their pro- 
perty, and the people consent that it is so, why then we have 
nothing to do with them. We are speaking of christians, and 
of the " christian church," and of such we say that they are the 
exclusive property of Jesus Christ. Of such He said that He 
loved them too dearly, and that they were far too precious in 
His sight to be committed to the care of "strangers" or "hire- 
ling" shepherds. If this be not the import of His words, we 
know not what He did mean. But His meaning is made, if 
possible, yet more plain by the following words : " But he that 
entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep ; to him 
the porter openeth, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calleth 
his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out, and when he 
putteth forth his own sheep he goeth before them, and the sheep 
follow him, for they know his voice." This is proof that chris- 
tians are in fact and literally, under the exclusive control of 
Jesus Christ. All beside Himself are "strangers and hirelings." 
What else can be the import of the following words ; " He 
leadeth them :" " he goeth before them ;" " they hear his voice;" 
" they follow him;" " a stranger they will not follow, but will 
flee from him" But two characters are mentioned by Christ, 
one is the shepherd, whose own the sheep are, and for which 
He giveth his life, so precious are they to Him. The other 
character is the stranger or hireling — but who are they?— 
This question, aside from all inferences, is answered by Christ 
in these words: "But he that is an hireling and not the 
shepherd, whose own the sheep are not." All, then, are counted 
strangers and hirelings but the owner of the sheep. Can any 
doctrine be more clearly expressed ? 



218 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

Whilst on this subject we will state a fact, taken from the 
pages of authentic history, relative to the care taken of sheep 
in Saxony, where the finest wool is produced. There, the 
owners of large flocks, have, from long experience, arrived at a 
knowledge of the best mode of managing sheep, in order to their 
thrift and productiveness. The owners, to be sure, will not 
condscend to be shepherds in person; but they make amends for 
this in other respects. In the first place, the owners provide 
for them the best pasture and other food that experience 
has demonstrated to be best adapted to their productiveness ; 
also, the manner and time of housing and feeding them. In 
the second place, the owners use great caution in selecting such 
men to tend them and loatch over them, as they know are worthy 
of confidence — honest, conscientious men. In the third place, 
written instructions are placed in their hands, minutely de- 
scribing the whole process of treatment from thebeginingto the 
ending ; and the overseer is expected by the owner, literally to 
adhere to his written instructions, and his doing so constitutes 
him a faithful overseer. The overseer provides nothing — origi- 
nates nothing — there is no part of the management of the flock 
left to his judgment or discretion. He is only responsible to the 
owner for his honest and faithful performance of the duties pre- 
scribed ; but for this he is made accountable to the owner, and 
his proceedings are statedly and rigidly investigated by the 
owner, and if found negligent or in any way deficient, he is in- 
stantly dismissed. 

Now, if the worldly interests of men — if dollars and cents can 
beget such care and caution on the part of the breeders of dumb 
animals, the loss of millions of which would not compensate for 
the loss of one immortal soul, can it be supposed that God has 
been less careful of the souls of men ? Immortal souls, too 
costly and precious to be purchased with corruptible things, 
i( such as silver and gold," but which cost the blood of the Son 
of God. Will not the owners of sheep entrust them to "stran- 
gers and hirelings ?" How much less then will God entrust 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 219 

the immortal spirits of His people to the wisdom of men, and 
that too, when He has declared the " wisdom of men to be 
foolishness ?" The thought is too rediculous to be harbored for 
one moment ; and yet " Reverened Doctors of Divinity, and 
" learned in theology" of the schools, thus libel the God of 
Heaven ! 

Furthermore, would it not be a very foolish thing in the 
owner of a flock of sheep, if he should draw up his directions 
so as to require a distinct class of men to expound them to those 
whom they were intended to direct? Yet this amount of folly 
also, is, by these same "Reverened gentlemen," charged upon 
God! 

We conclude, therefore, that to say that Christ did not direct 
all things relating to the instruction, and the whole management 
of His church, is a gross and mischievous libel on His wisdom, 
prudence and love, and unbecoming a prudent man in the 
management of his worldly affairs ! To rescue the character of 
the Most High from such an imputation, we are authorized by 
the Scriptures to say, that God has fully and explicitly directed 
all things relative to her doctrine, morals and government ; and 
that to pursue any other will defeat the purpose of God in rela- 
tion to His church, which purpose is, to unite in one family and 
brotherhood, all disciples of His Son, Jesus Christ, called "the 
church of the living God, the pillar and ground of truth ;" and, 
also, the "kingdom" and the "household of God." To make 
her "the light of the world," and "the salt of the earth," the 
nature and the form of that government must, therefore, be such 
as will produce all these vital and essential objects. Now, all 
this has been done effectually, and like all God's works, these 
important ends were to be accomplished by the plainest and most 
simple means conceivable. 

But where does the visible authority reside, or who represents 
Christ in the government of His church ? We have already 
seen that Christ has placed all authority in the hands of His 
disciples when associated in His exclusive name, and acting 



220 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

under His counsel alone, as their one, only, and common Lord 
and Master. We will now proceed to notice the practice of 
the apostolic churches as confirmatory of what we have before 
said. The first " assembly of disciples" after Christ's ascen- 
sion, was at Jerusalem, immediately after that event. This as- 
sembly was composed of the Apostles and brethren ; the num- 
ber was one hundred and twenty. Now, no inference can 
honestly be drawn from this, that there is an order of men ex- 
isting in the church, separate and distinct from the brethren , 
for, " on the Prophets and Apostles are builded the faith of be- 
lievers, Christ himself being the corner stone," the support of 
the whole ; therefore, they have no successors in the Church, 
save the Holy Scriptures. In this first assembly "Peter stood 
up in the midst of the disciples, and announces the defection of 
Judas, and the words of prophecy which foretold that defection, 
and then points out the essential qualification of an Apostle in 
these words : " Wherefore, of these men who have companied 
with us (Apostles) all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and 
out among us, begining from the baptism of John unto the 
same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained 
(or selected) to be a witness with us (Apostles) of his resurrec- 
tion." An Apostle, therefore, must be an ear and an eye wit- 
ness of what he testifies. Paul is one exception, and he em- 
phatically declares that he received his commission from Christ 
in person, and that he taught nothing but what he had received 
by express revelation from God. Of this vital truth we have 
already treated. After prayers and supplications for divine di- 
rection in the selection, Peter presents two suitable persons, 
Joseph and Mathias, and they united in this short and pertinent 
prayer : " Thou Lord, who knowest the hearts of all men, 
shew which of these two thou hast chosen, and they put forth 
their lots, (ballots,) and the lot (or plurality of votes) fell upon 
Mathias, and he was numbered among the eleven Apostles." — 
In this assembly, so far as it affords the church an example for 
imitation, an Apostle's voice even, is no more than that of the 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 221 

weakest brother present ; and for this reason the selection was 
to be from God, and not from men, and the assembled disciples 
uttered the decision of God. We do not say that the Apostles 
did not, as Apostles, possess full authority, independent of the 
disciples on this and every occasion, to dictate in all things re- 
lating to the church. But possessing such authority, we must 
admire their humility in declining to use it. This they learned 
of their master. But they had another impor'ant end in view, 
and that was to instruct disciples in their duty, privileges and 
responsibilities; for this purpose they use example as well as pre- 
cept. This was the way that Christ taught His disciples and 
Apostles humility. He washed their feet ! 

The next Apostolic usage in order, is the appointment of 
Deacons. It is thus related in Acts : " The Twelve called the 
multitude of the disciples together and said, ' it is not reason 
that we should leave the iccrdof God and serve tables ; where- 
fore, brethren, look ye out among yourselves seven men of 
honest report, full of the Holy Ghost, whom we may appoint 
over this business ; but we will give ourselves continually to 
prayer and the ministry of the word ;' and the saying pleased 
the whole multitude, and they chose Stephen, Philip, Proconius, 
Nicanor, Timon, Parmenius and Nicholas, whom they set be- 
fore the Apostles, and when they had prayed they laid their 
hands upon them.' 1 This teaches the same lessen as the for- 
nu r. only that the exclusive choice is left to disciples. The 
Apostle simply directs as to the essential qualifications for the 
office. These men were confessedly chosen to attend to the 
temporalities of the church only — "to serve tables;" yet the 
Apostles "laid hands upon them." Did this, therefore, confer 
on them Apostolic " grace and authority," or even the Holy 
Ghost, or any gift whatever? They were "men full of the 
Holy Ghost" before their appointment. It was, then, simply 
a confirmation of the selection of the brethren, or a formal and 
open induction into office of those chosen by disciples. This 
was proper as designating who the Deacons of the church were, 



222 TBEATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

that they might be applied to by disciples for such aid as per- 
tained to their department and office ; and this is the wonderful 
magic of the "imposition of hands," and to which such magical 
and potent influence is attributed by the Clergy! We know that 
this was the usual way of conferring supernatural gifts on men 
by the Apostles, when required for the good of the infant church 
in her imperfect condition. And yet another important truth is 
to be learned by this circumstance. These Deacons were not 
selected to preach the Gospel at all, and no Bible student will 
presume to say so; and yet facts prove that they did, for Stephen 
by his zeal in preaching Christ was the first martyr ! and Philip 
was sent to the Eunuch to instruct and baptize him ! The 
Apostles were the only divinely commissioned ministers of the 
word, that ever existed in the christian dispensation. To some 
few were imparted extraordinary gifts for the confirmation of the 
truth. " Tongues are for signs to them that believe not ;" but 
every disciple of Christ is bound to preach Him by precept and 
example, according to their abilities. This was the primitive 
method. The Apostles laid the foundation, which was Christ 
and Him alone, and it behooved all men to take heed how they 
built on it, whether gold, silver, wood, hay or stubble, as every 
man's work should be tried, so as by fire. If a man's work 
abided he should obtain a reward ; but if not so abiding this 
searching scrutiny of Almighty Gcd, all his works should be 
destroyed, but he himself should be saved, but so as by fire." — 
Is not this alarming to all who will be teachers? Their motives 
for ao doing will in the end undergo the searching scrutiny of 
the omnicient Jehovah ! and if found to have been pure and un- 
influenced by any earthly considerations, though they may for 
the want of judgement, have fallen into some errors, and ihese 
errors and their consequences destroyed utterly, yet he himself 
shall be saved; but even then he shall suffer loss; but if any 
thing short of pure love should be found in his motives, then 
himself, his works, and their consequences are forever lost! 
"The word oi God, as contained in the gospel of His Son, and 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 223 

proclaimed by His Apostles only, shall abide forever." "If 
men love to be masters, their condemnation will be the greater." 
It was to the disciples to whom Paul applied on his return to 
Jerusalem from Demascus, for admission into the fellowship of 
the Christian Church, but they were afraid of him, not believing 
that he was a disciple. After his rejection by the church, Bar- 
nabas, being a nephew of Paul, recommended him to the notice 
of the Apostles, who, after hearing from him the history of his 
conversion, and of his having preached boldly in the name of 
Christ, received him as an Apostle, and he was with them, 
coming in and going out, at Jerusalem. When the Jews sought 
to kill him, it was the brethren who sent him to Tarsus, which 
was his home. When Peter went to Joppa, it was by invita- 
tion of disciples. It was "certain brethren" that accompanied 
Peter to the house of Cornelius. "The Apostles and brethren 
that were in Judea heard that the Gentiles had also received 
the word of God; and when Peter was come to Jerusalem, they 
of the circumcision contended with him! Did Peter magisteri- 
ally silence them by asserting his Apostolic authority ? No, 
verily; but humbly related the whole matter, as it occurred, from 
begining to end, and then adds: " What was T, that I could 
withstand God? And when they heard these things, they held 
their peace." What a happy thing it would be, if those who 
pretend to be the successors of the Apostles, would imitate 
their condescension and humility. But, alas ! even those among 
the Clergy who dare not in theory assume quite so much authority 
in the church, yet in practice they act far more arrogantly, for 
they make laws and frame articles of faith, and compel men to 
submit to them, under pain of excommunication, and that too, 
whilst their disciples and themselves also, violate with impunity 
the laws of the Son of God ! " Come out from among them 
my people" saith the Lord, " and be ye separate, and I will 
receive you, and ye shall be my sons and my daughters." — 
" Now they who were scattered abroad on account of the per- 
secution of Stephen, traveled as far as Pheonice, Cypress and 



224 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

Antioch, preaching the word. When they came as far as An- 
tioch, speaking to the Grecians, preaching the Lord Jesus, the 
hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number believed 
and turned unto the Lord." From this fact also, we are in- 
structed in the simplicity of Apostolic usage, for all these 
preachers were simply disciples; but the "hand of the Lord was 
with them," and " a great number believed and turned unto the 
Lord." This, our Divines would pronounce with one voice, 
to be out of order and insufferable ! Pray, gentlemen, what is 
it to preach Christ? Is it any thing more than to publish His 
life, miracles, teachings, death, resurrection, ascension and in- 
tercession ? These disciples, many of whom were citizens of 
Judea during the ministry of Christ, and witnessed his crucinc- 
tion and the phenomena which accompanied it, and also en the 
Day of Penticost, simply related what they knew, and the con- 
solation which they had derived through believing and obeying 
the Gospel. The people believed their testimony, and became 
disciples of Christ. This is the great mystery of preaching the 
Gospel, which requires such a great amount of learning, and 
around which so much mystery is thrown ! All that can be 
learned of Christianity by mortal man, is contained in one small 
volume, price twenty-five cents; yea, far more than was known 
by those primitive preachers, for all then was tradition, and only 
the foundation laid. The laws of Christ's kingdom was not as 
yet fully revealed, nor His precepts fully known. But now we 
have all that infinite love and wisdom deemed proper and neces- 
sary to be known by men, and not through uncertain tradition, 
but in deffinite and well authenticated records, and there perma- 
nently recorded and unchangably settled, as the only testimonies 
of God. He who studies the Holy Scriptures in the spirit of a 
disciple, and practices as he learns, is the most able preacher of 
the Gospel, the more especially if, to example, he has the gift 
of communicating his knowledge in plain words. These dis- 
ciples were the first to preach the Gospel in these cities. "And 
when tidings of these things came to the ears of the church at 



riLEATISE Ml CHRISTIANITY. 

Jerusalem. :'-.-:. the church.) sent forth Baniabas, [one of 
iples,) that he should go as far as Antioch, 
en .. • " : ;ome ~ seen the grace of God, •■ 

gl ... and exhorted them all, thai with fall purpose oi 
they she Id leave unto the Lord." Here it is recorded by 

: ■ :: ex bat not the Apostle'Sj thougl 

t at at the :". . which »1 

'..-.": - irist ml : 

? of - it this .\- tary id de- 

fined ion. !.. les : ire nc : sc :: . 

as mentioned, the; part. wever, of the shnrcii 

&a& a rood o 
and full - result was 

"'.. Barnal 

I, and when he had 1 

rhc both 

. " i i . the cJturc) 

peoph : les w ere call* chris 

first at Antic: 

- n : £c I il? Because 1" il wa 

■ • I ; I i 

I he w n to be fi id 

ad t hat none but an i - ~ 

do. of the a taining the : 

3ns at :.. to the si 

trifling imr. is much meaning in it. I: 

inner and : of Paul' ictions. — 

is present hem as their one and r . 

• wisdom and 
ion and redemption; as their pries*. 
all, and in them all. He bin 
Paul lal 

ile around 
:ience the people called them not after Pt ... 
bat after Christ. "Ji 



226 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

phets and teachers, (disciples and residents there, for there is 
nothing to authorize a contrary opinion, and doubtless men of 
business too— men who labored with their own hands for a 
livelihood, and so Paul and Barnabas did on all occasions. — See 
Paul's Epistles,) as Barnabas, Simeon, Lucius, Manaen and 
Saul. As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy 
Ghost said, " separate me Saul and Barnabas, for the work 
whereunto I have called them, and when they had fasted and 
prayed, and laid their hands upon them, they sent them away." 
Here is another ordaining by the imposition of hands, and that 
too of the lesser by the greater , for an Apostle received the laying 
on of hands of disciples; certainly no grace or virtue, or superior 
authority was conferred by it ! but it was simply designating 
them for a particular duty. Agreeable to Clerical logic this is 
all wrong ! The greater must lay hands on the less to make 
him great ! But the plain and unsophisticated state of the 
case is this : The Holy Ghost teaches us to look to the church 
as the agent of Christ, to send, w T hen circumstances call for it, 
teachers where they are needed. When God makes manifest 
His will to the church, her duty is to comply. In what man- 
ner it was communicated on this occasion we are not distinctly 
told ; " it is said as they fasted and prayed." No doubt but 
they were praying for direction how T to proceed further, as Paul 
and Barnabas had abode in that city one year. Again, it can- 
not be supposed that there was more than one assembly at 
Antioch at this time, yet there were at the least five teachers 
there. This too, is entirely out of order! The disciples must 
have been very rich in this world's goods to support them all, and 
send relief to the poor brethren at Jerusalem also, which they did 
a little before; and the more especially as one of the number of 
Clerical gentlemen was an Arch Bishop, or an Apostle, which is 
nearly equal! and some Prophets, perhaps, equal to modern 
Bishops! The teachers, we may suppose, w T ere only Preachers 
or Curates ! 
Whilst the Apostle was at Antioch, a certain men came from 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 227 

Jerusalem, and said that all disciples must be circumcised and 
keep the law of Moses. Paul and Barnabas had no small dis- 
putation with these men," but they persisted ! Now these men 
were not sent by the church at Jerusalem as we shall see ; but 
then coming from the cradle, the fountain head of the new re- 
ligion, their opinions had great weight, and was the cause of 
much disturbance among the young converts. What was to 
be done in this state of things ? The Apostle could have si- 
lenced them authoritatively, but he did not! Our Clergy would 
have expelled them. Why? Are they immoral themselves, or 
do they teach others to be so? No, but they teach doctrines con- 
trary to our creed ! You may in your wisdom think this the 
proper course, but such was not Apostolic usage ; this is most 
certainly true. The most, if not all the twelve Apostles st ill 
continued at Jerusalem. " The brethren therefore sent Paul, 
Barnabas, and certain brethren, up to Jerusalem, to enquire of 
the AposUes and Elders, concerning this matter; and when 
they arrived at that city, they were received by the Church, 
Well, how was it finally settled ? By 
Not so! But the 
Apostles, Elders, and the whole church were called together to 
consider it. The subject was fully and freely discussed, and 
facts referred to, and particularly the case of Cornelius was ci'ed 
by Peter, as clearly indicating the Divine will ; prophecy aiso 
was referred to as confirmation. Paul and Barnabas related 
what miracles and wonders God had wrought among the Gen- 
tiles by them. " Then James answered, saying, ' men and 
brethren, what has been said agrees with the words of the 
Prophets, wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them 
which among the Gentiles are turned to God ; but that they ab- 
stain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and frc m 
things strangled, and from blood.'" " Then pleased it the 
Apostles and Elders, and the whole church, to send chosen 
men of their own company to Antioch, with Paul and Barnabas, 
viz : Judas, surnamed Barsarbas; and Silas, chief men among 



2'2S TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

the brethren ; and they wrote letters by them after this man- 
ner: i The Apostles, Elders and brethren, send greeting 
unto the brethren which are of the Gentiles in Antioch, Syria 
and Cilicea, forasmuch as we have heard that certain men which 
went out from us, have troubled you with words, subverting 
your souls, saying that ye must be circumcised and keep the 
law, to whom we gave no such commandments.' ' This deci- 
sion they declared to be the decision of the Holy Ghost. But 
the voice of God was uttered through the Scriptures, and by 
recent facts in his dealings with the Gentiles, through the Apos- 
tles, which to us is now the word of Gad. Hence it is mani- 
fest that the mind of God cannot by possibility be now known 
on any subject relating to His church, but through His word, 
and that that word is the voice of the Holy Ghost. It is, there- 
fore, all a delusion for men to say that they are " moved by the 
Holy Ghost," to take on them any office in the church, or to 
pursue any course of conduct whatever, only as clearly revealed 
in God's word. The retiring and modest deportment of the 
Apostles is worthy of special remark. There is seen in all this 
important transaction no obtruding of authority. The brethren 
on all occasions participate in their deliberations, and sends 
their own members as messengers to other churches, even when 
an Apostle is going direct to the same city. This is their uni- 
form manner of procedure. The Apostles were preparing dis- 
ciples for their responsibilities and privileges after their own 
departure from the world. When they arrived at Antioch they 
called the whole multitude of disciples together, and delivered 
to them their message, and they rejoiced for the consolation. — 
How pleasant to the eyes to behold pleasing colors ; but much 
more agreeable is it to the mind, to contemplate the deeds of 
truly disinterested and holy men. "Some days after, Paul said 
to Barnabas, 'let us go again and visit our brethren in every city 
where we have preached the word of the Lord, and see how 
they do.'" How beautifully simple is this language of the true 
ambassador of Almighty God ! Paul, after this, spent three 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 229 

years at Ephesus, and when he again returned to Jerusalem, the 
brethren received him gladly. Here we have another instance 
o( the freedom of opinions permitted in Apostolic churches, and 
how, for the purpose of union among christians, even the "great 
Apostle of the Gentiles," yields to the prejudices of disciples, 
when these prejudices did not involve moral conduct, but when 
they did, he was immoveable. Then it was that he " was 
Paul, an Apostle of Jesus Christ, by the will of God," and then 
he u magnified his office," and admitted of no compromise. — 
The day after his arrival, James and the elders thus addressed 
Paul : " Thou seest, brother, how many thousands of Jews 
there are which believe, and they are all zealous for the law, and 
they are informed of thee, that thou teachest all the Jews who 
are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, saying that they ought 
not to circumcise their children, neither to walk after the cus- 
toms. What is it, therefore? The multitude must needs come 
together, for they will hear that thou hast come. Do this, 
therefore: we have four men who have a vow upon them, take 
them and purify thyself with them." Paul complied. Sup- 
pose Paul had refused, the consequence of such refusal would 
have been a division in the church, and this division would 
have spread itself as far as Christianity had reached, and would 
also have countenanced other divisions for opinion sake ; and 
heresies would have been abundant in language like this : " I 
dm of Paul, I of Apolus, I of Cephas, and I of Christ," &c. — 
And so it came to pass after the decease of these faithful guar- 
dians of the church, and so it continues to this day ! " Where 
there are divisions there must be also heresies." — Paul. 

Reader, ponder this Apostolic declaration! It cannot be for 
one moment doubted ^that if this yielding and compliance on 
the part of the Apostle had not the approval of God, he never 
would have done it. Then one important thruth in theology is 
torever settled by the Holy Ghost, viz : That any and every 
division from the church, or any expulsion therefrom for opin- 
ion sake, is anti-christian, and the power causing it is anti- 



230 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

Christ. The expelling party is anti-Christ, the party so ex- 
pelled are the true church so long as they sustain a Catholic 
spirit, and allow perfect freedom of opinion among her mem- 
bers ; otherwise, she also becomes anti- Christ in turn ; and this 
spirit obtains in all sectarian organization in the world ! — 
Moreover, this diversity of opinion would not exist to any ex- 
tent if all professors were to learn of Christ — were His " dis- 
ciples indeed.' 5 

We have shown conclusively, that in the Apostolic churches 
all authority of judging and determining was vested in disciples. 
as directed by the word of God. In confirmation of this fact, 
history informs us that this authority continued so invested for 
three hundred years after the Apostles, and the same authority 
confirms that up to that time perfect freedom of opinion prevailed 
in the church, and that the first anathema hurled, authorita- 
tively, against opinion, was by the instigation of Athanasius 
against Arius, under Constantine, the first Christian Prince in 
the fourth century ! During the third century nothing more 
was required for admission in the church but a simple confes- 
sion that Jesus Christ was the Son of God, and the Saviour of 
men, with a promise to learn and obey His precepts.See Mos.- 
hiem's church history. 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 231 

THE ORGANIZATION OF A CHRISTIAN CHURCH, 
AND THE KIND OF MEN AS DESIGNATED BY 
THE HOLY GHOST, TO TAKE THE OVERSIGHT 
OF THE "HOUSEHOLD OF FAITH" AND "CHURCH 
OF THE LIVING GOD." 

This is called by St. Paul, " setting things in order." "For 
this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order 
things that are wanting, and ordain (or appoint) Elders in every 
city." And again, " when they had ordained them Elders in 
every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended 
them to the Lord on whom they believed." Also, "from 
Miletus he sent to Ephesus, and called the Elders of the 
church," &c. Doubtless, to set a church in order, implies a 
preparation for the discharge of all its duties, and this was done 
by the appointment of one or more Elders over the assembly of 
disciples ; and when so done, and they having the whole of 
God's revealed will, the church was complete in all things ne- 
cessary to her perfection. 

But what was this Elder or Elders, their character and their 
duties 9 All this is so very plainly revealed by the Holy Ghost, 
that to us it is astonishing that there can be two opinions about 
it ! The term Elder is not indicative of office at all, but of the 
men who fill the office, meaning thereby aged men. None but 
such were ever appointed to any station of great trust and re- 
sponsibility among the Jews, or any of the ancient nations. — 
All magistrates and all rulers among the Israelites were select- 
ed from the aged. Old men were venerated by all primitive 
nations, and more especially by the Jews; hence it is said, "thou 
shalt rise up before the hoary head;" and hence, also, the legis- 
lature of Rome was called " the senate" and " fathers," because 
composed originally of seniors or aged men ; and hence, also, 
it is said, " woe to thee, O land, when thy king is a child." — 
And God threatens to punish the Jews by giving them children 
for rulers. Before Moses commenced delivering Israel, he as- 



232 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

sembled the Elders of the people, and to them he made known 
his mission, and as a proof of his calling he performed miracles 
before them. All the Elders were invited to the feast given by 
Moses to his father-in-law. And when God formed a council 
to assist Moses in the government of the Jewish nation, He 
said : (t Gather unto me seventy men of the Elders of Israel, 
whom thou knowest to be Elders of the people, and officers over 
them." This continued to be the supreme council of that 
people so long as they existed as a nation, and afterwards called 
the " great sanhedrim." In the corrupt state of that people, 
the Priests, by their influence over the people, procured their 
own election to that council, and by it Christ was condemned, 
or His condemnation procured from the civil authority. Such 
instances might be multiplied to any extent, as the Scriptures 
abound in them. As often as assemblies and public affairs are 
there mentioned, the Elders are said to bear rule, hence the ex- 
pression in the Psalms, "praise God in the congregation of the 
people and in the seat of the Elders ;" and from the fact of none 
but aged men being eligible to offices of responsibility, Elder 
became synonymous with ruler, and the term Elder supplied 
that of ruler, magistrate and governor. 

At what age a man was called an Elder, and qualified for an 
office of responsibility, we are not informed, but an estimate 
may be safely formed from the circumstance of those being called 
young men whose advice Rehoboam followed, and by doing so 
greatly oppressed the people of Israel. For it is said, " they 
were brought up with Him." Now Rehoboam was forty years 
old at that time, and it may be safely concluded, therefore, that 
those called young men were about his age. All history shows 
that the most prudently governed states have been those gov- 
erned by aged and experienced men. Moreover, old men are 
the best qualified to instruct, advise and govern, as no book 
knowledge can compensate the want of sage experience. A 
man of good natural abilities and reflection, in his passage 
through life, has acquired by observation and personal expert- 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY* 233 

ence at the age of fifty and sixty, a stock of that kind of 
knowledge of men and things that age only can supply. He 
then sees that at thirty or even forty, he was but a novice in 
many of the most important things conducive to his own peace 
and happiness, and, also, to that of others ; he sees how many 
errors of judgment and conduct he might have avoided. This 
feeling is universal with men of advanced age, and therefore, 
they are the best quailified to fill stations in church and in the 
state, of responsibility, especially where great prudence and 
matured judgment are necessary. In what station are such 
qualifications more needed than in an overseer of immortal 
souls ? Blood bought souls ! To train them for eternal life ! 
Surely prudence and w T isdom dictates the necessity of extreme 
caution in the selection of men for such an office of trust and 
responsibility. Such is the voice of reason, nature, and of God, 
who is the author of both ; and with this three-fold voice agrees 
the directions so minutely given by St. Paul to Timothy and to 
Titus, in relation to the men as qualified to watch over and in- 
struct the church of God. These are his words : u A Bishop, 
then, must be blameless ; the husband of one wife ; sober ; of 
good behavior ; given to hospitality ; apt to teach ; not given 
to wine ; no striker ; not given to filthy lucre ; but patient, 
not a brawder, not covetous ; one that rulethwell his own house, 
having his children in subjection with all gravity; for, if a man 
know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of 
the church of God? Not a novice, lest being lifted up with 
pride, he fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover, 
he must have a good report of them which are without, lest he 
fall into reproach and the snare of the devil." The same Apos- 
tle, in writing to Titus on the same subject, uses the same 
words or nearly so, and then he tells Titus to appoint Elders 
as Bishops of the churches. Elder designated the character or 
man who was to fill the office; and Bishop, the nature of the 
office — meaning thereby, an overseer. 

After reading this description of a Bishop, as given by in- 



234 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

spiration of God, can any assembly of disciples be for one mo- 
ment at a loss to ascertain the man designated by the Holy 
Ghost, to take the oversight of them ? We think, and are sure, 
that they need not. We conclude, therefore, that when dis- 
ciples are are about to select a Bishop, they will not fail to con- 
sult God rather than men ; and if they do so, and act in good 
faith, as liege subjects of the " kingdom of God," they will not 
fail to select an Elder, or an aged brother, such as described by 
the Apostle to fill the office of Bishop. In some cases there 
might be many aged men among them ; in such cases the selec- 
tion must be in the judgment of the brethren, made of such as 
came the nearest to the Apostle's description, by sacrificing on 
the alter of obedience every other consideration whatever. In 
doing so, would not the church be obeying the voice of God ? 
Yea, rather, would it not be the selection of the Holy Ghost ? 
And would not all such acts be recorded in Heaven as done by 
God? Most assuredly they would, because done in obedience to 
directions given by God to guide the church in this very thing. 
And wherein does this come short of infallibility ? Well then, 
if all christian assemblies prove true in their allegiance to Christ, 
and do not suffer themselves to be " drawn away from the sim- 
plicity that is in Him," will they not all, whether in Africa, 
Asia, Europe or America, and through all times, be of one and 
the same organization, or one form of government ? Most as- 
suredly they would. And if they do not thus obey the voice of 
the Son of God, they are none of His disciples, and no number 
of them can make a christian church ! 

Let any twelve honest, discret, and disinterested men, hold 
an inquest on the men selected by the Holy Ghost as suitable 
persons to hold the office of Bishops in christian churches, and 
rely exclusively on the testimony of God as the only facts in 
the case, whom would they select, or whom could they select 
but aged, honest and upright citizens, (being disciples,) who, 
by honest industry and sterling integrity in the business of life, 
had gained the confidence of their brother disciples, and of their 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 235 

fellow citizens. Proving their capability of ruling the church 
by the good government of their own families, " having their 
children in subjection in all gravity." Such men would doubt- 
less be their selection, whether they were merchants, farmers, 
physicians, lawyers, mechanics or laborors. It is the character 
and not the vocation that makes the worthy man. 



THE DUTIES OF A CHRISTIAN BISHOP. 

The name of the office designates its duties; but if the reader 
imagines any thing resembling what he sees or reads of Bishops, 
after the middle of the 3d century, he will be egregiously de- 
ceived both in the men and office. Yea, as much so as to judge 
of Christianity by its professors ! The term Bishop as used 
and as intended by the inspired writers, implies precisely what 
is meant by our common English term overseer. Hence, the 
Apostle thus addresses the Bishops of Ephesus : " Take heed, 
therefore, unto yourselves, and to all the flock over which the 
Holy Ghost hath made you overseer." And Peter charges them 
thus : " Feed ihe fock of God that is among you, taking the 
oversight thereof." The Bishops, therefore, had the supervi- 
sion and care of the assemblies of their brethren, as fathers of 
the younger disciples ; inspecting their conduct, advising, ex- 
hurting, reproving, comforting and instructing them, as circum- 
stances required. These were their primary official duties. — 
The Bishop of a Christian churck had no more authority to 
make la^vs for disciples than had the very least of his flock, as 



236 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

they were all equally disciples of one teacher and master. It 
was their plain duty to overlook the best interest of the whole, 
and to see that the laws provided by Christ, and promulgated 
by His authorized ambassadors, were taught and observed by 
all under his charge, without respect to persons. 

The Bishop, as the presiding officer of the church, was se- 
lected by his brethren under the direction of the Holy Ghost — 
(see Paul's Epistle to Timothy and Titus ;) and as all organized 
bodies are addressed through their presiding officers, so are the 
churches sometimes addressed through their Bishops. Hence, 
the seven churches are so spoken to by Christ in the Apoca- 
lypse. Whatever authority the Bishop of an Apostolic Chris- 
tian church possessed or exercised, was purely delegated and 
derived from his brethren. It was doubtless by them made his 
duty to preside in all their meetings, whether for worship or for 
the admission and expulsion of members ; and, also, as a tribu- 
nal to adjudicate all differences between disciples, for under no 
circumstances were disciples permitted to apply to the civil tri- 
bunals in cases of litegation between themselves. They were 
citizens of the " kingdom of Heaven," and the Son of God was 
by the Father, constituted "King in Zion." His precepts 
were their code of laws, by which all things must be determined. 
It would be out of place for the subjects of one Prince to apply 
to the tribunals of another for justice! (see Math., c. 18, v. 15 
to 18.) This is imperious and cannot be slighted by any dis- 
ciple of the Lord Jesus, without incurring guilt. On this sub- 
ject, Paul speaks in this positive manner : " Dare any of you, 
having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust 
and not before the saints ? Do you not know that the saints 
shall judge the world? And if the world shall be judged by 
you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Know 
ye not that we shall judge angels? How much more things 
pertaining to this life." This is a stern Apostolic rebuke to all 
who disregard the precept of Christ in this matter. 

It is, beyond all controversy, as clearly revealed in God's 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. l Z6l 

word, as any fact can be — first, that the hightest and most re- 
sponsible office in a " Christian church," is the Bishop; and 
that he is the overseer of God's family; second, that this Bishop 
must be selected by disciples from the aged brethren, and on 
that account were called Elders of the churches. These two 
positions no man who has any pretentions to candor, fairness 
and honesty of intentions, will dispute. 

There is but one other officer mentioned, as constituting a 
part of a permanently organized " Christian church," and that 
is the office of deacon. And what are the essential qualifica- 
tions for that office as designated by the Holy Ghost ?- The 
Apostle thus describes it : " The deacons also, must be grave , 
not double tongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy 
lucre, holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience; 
and let these first be proved, then let them use the office of 
deacon, being found blameless. Even so must their wives be 
blameless, not slanderous; sober, faithful in all things. Let the 
deacons be the husband of one wife, ruling their children and 
house well." 

Their official duties were, unquestionably, to attend to the 
temporal affairs of the church, (Acts, c. C.) There were, also, 
female deacons, called deaconesses ; and the Apostle per- 
emptorily forbids woman to speak in public. It is manifest, 
then, that teaching in the church was no part of the office of a 
deacon. The female deacons attended to the poor and sick 
among female disciples, visiting and distributing to them the 
supplies provided by the church. But, as we have shown, 
deacons did preach, and so might any discreet brother. 

Christian churches were organized on the same principles as 
were the Jew's synagogues, and both had the same object in 
view, viz : instruction and discipline. We must not, how- 
ever, confound them with the temple service. There sacrifices 
and offerings were presented to God by the " sons of Aaron," 
who ministered at the alter by the appointment of God ; but 
Christ, by the one and more perfect offering cf His own body, 



238 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

thereby abolished all farther sacrificial offerings for sip, and 
having passed into the Heavens, now ever liveth to make in- 
tercession for His Israel ; and because He dieth not, needs no 
successors in the Priestly office. Therefore, the Whole order of 
Priests are forever abolished, and all disciples are a royal 
priesthood, to offer up prayers for mankind and for themselves, 
without the intrusion of any mortal man. But synagogues 
were edifices erected for the accommodation of -the people, 
where they assembled every Sabbath day to hear the reading of 
Moses and the Prophets, and for mutual exhortation. These 
were not confined to Jerusalem as was the temple, but were 
common all over the world wherever Jews were found. The 
synagogue was their school house, and Moses and the Prophets 
were their teachers. Over each synagogue presided an aged 
man, or an Elder ; the Jews called them "heads of congrega- 
tions," and "Elders of the people." Their names were various 
in different parts of the world, according to the language of the 
country, but all expressive oi the same office and the same char- 
acters. They were by some, called sages, presbyters, angels, 
rulers; as, also, Bishops, overseers and inspectors These ap- 
pelations were all given to the head of a Jewish synagogue, and 
the very same as are applied to the head or overseer of a Chris- 
tian church, because the office and the kind of men who filled 
the office and their duties, were the same. There were, also, 
deacons belonging to every synagogue, who attended to the 
poor of their respective congregations, collected and distributed 
alms; visited the sick, and other temporal matters pertaining to 
their office, corresponding in all things to the office of deacon 
in a Christian church. Such was the organization of a Jew- 
ish synagogue; and such, also, was the Apostolic organization 
of a Christian church. The only difference consisted in the 
teachers — the one learned of Moses, and were his disciples; and 
the other of Christ, and were His disciples. The Jews, or 
proselytes from the Gentiles, were admitted into full communion 
and fellowship by circumcision ; and Jew and Gentile were also 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 239 

admitted into full communion and fellowship with the Christian 
church by baptism ; and both of these rites bound the recipients 
in obedience to their respective teachers. The one eat of the 
passover, and the other of the Lord's supper. 

So that the transition of a Jew from Judaism to Christianity 
was, in the order of God, made easy and altogether advanta- 
geous, for the one was bondage and the other comparative 
liberty. It was only necessary to convince the Jew that Christ 
was a teacher come from God, and of the efficacy of His sacri- 
fice of himself, and His eternal Priesthood in the presence of 
God, and consequently, as having fulfilled the law of " carnal 
ordinances' 5 for all who believe on him. Then all the change 
required was, to remove Moses as a school master, and substi- 
tute Christ as a teacher of a higher grade. The organization 
of the school was the same — the same grade of officers, and the 
same mode of instruction (except the corruptions introduced by 
the learned doctors of the law) as they had been all their lives 
nccustomed to. 

This change may be very fitly illustrated by what is every day 
practiced in domestic economy. When children have learned 
all they can under one teacher, they are removed to another 
school, and placed under one of a higher grade ; but the pupils 
are still under the restraints of scholars, though the instructions 
be different, but not contrary to what they have already learned; 
their former instructions being the basis of their future progress, 
yet the same attention and obedience to the instructions of the 
new teacher is essential to progress in all cases, though the 
duties enjoined be different. 

One law-giver and one form of government, constituted the 
Jews one people, and separate from all others over the whole 
world ; and, by the appointment of God, such was to have con- 
stituted the Christian church the same, so long as the Christian 
dispensation endured. 

But if it be asked if this Apostolic form of government had 
been preserved, whether the same evils would not have oc- 



240 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

curred ? That the church, under that simple and well guarded 
form of government, might have fallen into some errors by the 
imposition of crafty Elders, and also from other causes, cannot 
well be doubted ; yet the evils growing out of such maladmin- 
istration, would have been but a drop to the ocean, compared 
to what has happened by a departure from it, through the usur- 
pation of the Clergy ! But admitting that the same amount of 
evils might have ensued, still, that would not justify a depar- 
ture from it, any more than a subject is justified in setting up a 
government in opposition to his prince, and enticing his fel- 
low subjects to treason and rebellion, and not so much : tor cir- 
cumstances may justify rebellion against a wicked and tyranical 
prince ; but no possible circumstances can justify treason and 
rebellion against the government established by the wisdom and 
benevolence of Almighty God; because He could have set up no 
government but such as was most wisely adapted, and the most 
effectual to accomplish His purposes of benevolence to man- 
kind. Any system of government eminating from the all wise 
God, must be perfect in all its parts. 

Furthermore, there are no appliances of corruption connected 
with this government. In the first place, the officers are few, 
only one, or at most two; and this one or two are not open to the 
aspirations of but very few in most Christian associations. — 
Those advanced in age, the "elders of the people" only, are 
eligible to either the office of overseer or deacon. And even 
these, by a long association with their brethren, must have 
gained a solid reputation, as men of sterling integrity and moral 
worth; as men, who, by the wise and prudent management of 
their temporal business, are respected even by their fellow 
citizens and neighbors ; for " they must have a good report of 
them who are without." And even more than this, they must 
also exhibit (heir love of order and sound discipline; there ability 
and aptitude to maintain both, by the example of their own 
family government. That man among the most aged and 
venerable for their integrity, honesty, modesty and hospitality of 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. £41 

a long life, is the only person designated by the Holy Ghost as 
suitable for ihe office of overseer, or for a deacon in the house 
of God ! We have no fears that this delineation of character 
will be disputed, for it is beyond the reach of even cavilers. — 
That is a fortunate association of disciples, which has many 
such to compete for office! In this selection of the Holy Ghost, 
the inexperisp.ee and the indiscretion of youth, as well as the 
ambition of middle life, are avoided : and, also, the unnatural 
exaltation of the younger over the elder. See in this arrange- 
ment how beautifully the laws of nature and the laws of God 
harmonize ! Again, there is no emolument attached to the 
officers of the church — so far from it, that the Apostle, in his 
charge to the overseers of the churches of the proud city or' 
Ephesus, tells them that they must set the church an example 
in honest industry, by laboring with their own hands for their 
own support, and to assist such of the disciples as were unable 
to labor. For the present we shall assume this as a truth of 
revelation, and will in another place demonstrate its truth, by 
infallible testimony. 

There being, then, no emoluments derived from the office, 
cuis off one oi the greatest sources of corruption that is con- 
ceivable. Money is acknowledged to be the source, the mov 
prolific fountain of corruption that is known to mankind! — 
There are other sources of corruption, particularly ambition, 
but this even depends on money for the attainment of its objects. 
This towering and dangerous ambition too, is limited to but 
few ; whereas, the corrupting influence of money pervades alj 
classes, in all nations and countries ! So that inspiration calls 
it the " root of all evil ;" the "coveting of which drown men in 
perdition !" How pre-eminent the wisdom of the God of 
Heaven stands justified, in excluding from the management oi 
the kingdom set up by Himself— youth, with its inexperience 
and fickleness ; middle age, with its ambition ; and money, 
with its irresist^jle power of corruption — ami selecting age, 
with the ripe fruits of long experience. What shall we say to 
p 



:li2 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY 

these things ? We may safely say this much : that the king- 
dom of God, mixed up or dependent on any of the former, 
could not possibly accomplish the purposes of Jehovah, because 
the leaven of corruption placed in it, must, of necessity, sooner 
or later have diffused itself through the whole — and such has 
been the fact. The history of the human race, from the earliest 
times, through all subsequent periods, and down to the 
present day, witnesses, that inexperience, ambition and money*, 
have been the leading causes of the corruption and destruction 
of liberty, virtue, morals and governments. But as God has ex- 
cluded ail these, and has directed the opposite of them all, it is 
therefore, not only possible, but it is quite reasonable to expect, 
that the purpose contemplated by Him should be accomplished. 
Hiving " set up His kingdom," and ordered all things relating 
to its well being, and settled its government on pure and sound 
principles, by excluding all things of a corrupting nature, and 
engrafting in its constitution every purifying and preserving 
quality of nature and grace, Humanly speaking, He had a 
right to indulge the expectation that it would fulfill His wise 
and holy purposes ; and, on the other hand, if He had left any- 
thing relating to His kingdom, to the discretion of men, and 
more especially to youth and the uses of money, He cou'd not ? 
on any rational principles, have looked for any more than what 
has happened and what notv exists. 

It may, therefore, be truly said of the Christian church, what 
the Lord Jesus said of the Jewish church, and they are both 
alike His kingdoms, Christ, to illustrate the great care that 
infinite wisdom had taken to preserve the Jewish church pure 
and '.incorrupt} uses the following parable : " There was a cer- 
tain householder *vhich planted a vineyard, and hedged it round 
about, and digged a vnne press in it, and built a tower, and let it 
out to husbandmen, and went into a far country : and when the 
time of the iruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husband- 
men, that they might receive the fruits of it, and the husband- 
men took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY- 243 

stoned another ; and again he sent other servants, raoro than 
the first, and they did unto them likewise. 5 ' V And when the 
chief Priests and the Pharisees had heard this parable, they 
perceived that He spoke of them, and they would have laid 
hands on Him but they feared the people, for the multitude 
took Him for a Prophet. " Would, or did God do more for the 
Jewish church, than for the Christian? The householder 
placed his vineyard in perfect order for cultivation, convenience, 
protection arid defence, and he had, on that account, a right to 
expect a return of fruit corresponding with these arrangements. 

Has God erected no hedge around the Christian church? — 
No tower of strength ? Look at her ! God Himself is a wall 
of fire round about her, and her glory in her midst, and His im- 
mutable counsels direct her. All corrupting influences are pro- 
hibited, and sage experience overlooks her interests. May He 
not then well say, " what could I have done for my vineyard 
more than I have done ?" 

But, alas ! the chief Priests, Scribes and the Pharisees, have 
conspired together, and dispossessed the rightful owner, and all 
the fruits of his care and expenditures are, by these wicked 
husbandmen, denied him ! 

It may be objected and said, that Paul tells the Ephesian 
Elders to " feed the flock of God." True he does. We have 
said that the Bishop was a person selected by his brethien, on 
account of his sage experience and the integrity of a long life, 
to watch over their interests as the disciples of Christ. To 
him, therefore, in that age of the world, they were comjielhdXo 
look for instruction. The Holy Scriptures being then, and for 
fourteen hundred years after that time, in manuscript; and not 
one in a hundred had or could read them. To him, then, the 
church looked for instruction, or the procurement of it. 

But what kind of instruction was it his duty to impart to the 
church? Here, on this particular, depends the fate of Christi- 
anity ! By his faithfully pursuing the course ordained by God, 
all was safe, and he a faithful overseer ; but to depart from it all 



244 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

was lost, and he a traitor to his trust. To illustrate these posi- 
tions, let it be supposed that the smallest discretionary authority, 
either in government or instruction, had been committed to 
Bishops — men's minds are so very different, and they differ so 
muck as to the best means to secure the same ends, that, allow- 
ing them all possible honesty of intentions you please, still they 
would pursue different courses. But to take men as history 
represents them, and as we knout them ever to be, and what 
might the consequences of such a discretion be expected to pro- 
duce? There would inevitably be tyranny, ambitious conten- 
tions, discord, diversities of faiths and of governments, factions, 
and every evil work. Imperceptibly they would diverge from 
the straight line of gospel truth, until pure Christianity would 
be entirely lost sight of! and the name only, would remain to 
tell that there ever was such a thing in the world! All this has 
happened. 

Knowing then, as all must know, that such has been the 
fruit of this assumed discretionary power ; to say that such 
authority was given by "the All-wise God, our Saviour," is to 
lay the sin at his door ! It would be tempting men to sin ! — 
It was to open a wide door for the destruction of His own 
avowed purpose in relation to His church, and bid men to enter 
and commence the havoc ! These truths are self-evident, and 
need no further argument, 

*' Thus did the God of Heaven set up a kingdom in the 
mklst of the kingdoms of the world ;" " ordered in all \hings 
and sure;" indivisible in its nature, and infallible in its coun- 
sels ; simple in its structure, but effectual for the accomplish-. 
mentof the purposes of Jehovah, 



fR£ATI8E ON CHRISTIANITY. 245 

SHOULD BISHOPS OF CHRISTIAN CHURCHES RE- 
CEIVE PECUNIARY COMPENSATION FOR THEIR 
SERVICES; OR, IS MANUAL LABOR INCOxMPATI- 
BLE WITH ANY PERMANENT STATION OF THE 
CHURCH, 

We are prepared to prove that none such are, on Christian 
principles, entitled to pecuniary compensation, and that manual 
labor is neither derogatory to, or incompatable with any, even 
the highest station in the church, from the Pope down to the 
country Preacher. Neither of the latter, however, constitutes 
any part of the Christian system. 

But where and to whom shall we apply for such kind of proof 
as is sufficiently authentic and disinterested, as to be above 
suspicion ? There is but one solitary source from whence such 
testimony can be obtained, and that is the Holy Ghost, as He 
speaks in the Holy Scriptures. 

In the first place then, we might refer to the example of the 
Son of God ; for, so far as the testimony of the sacred Scrip- 
tures, in relation to this matter, speaks of him, it is altogether 
in our favor. His reputed father was a carpenier, and with 
him the man Christ was brought up until the age of thirty.— 
The only plausible inference deducible from this established and 
incontrovertible fact is, that Christ did work with His own 
hands at the carpenter's trade, for at least fifteen years, as His 
public ministry only lasted three years ! Then He was only 
known by those of the city of Nazareth, as Jesus, the carpenter, 
He was, therefore, a mechanic. 

Furthermore, He, of choice, entered our world in that class 
of society ; and he selected the industrious laboring class for 
His companions and most intimate associates, during His 
whole earthly pilgrimage ! This is an incontrovertible fact. 

Yet again, there is nothing in all His teachings that coun- 
tenances in the remotest manner, the absurd idea that manual 
labor is incompatible with the highest possible office in the 



246 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

Christian church ! But, on the contrary, His whole life, ex- 
ample and teachings, are, doubtless, in favor of our position. 

There are one or two circumstances only in His whole his- 
tory which may be caught at by men of corrupt principles, as 
affording them a shadow of an excuse for exemption from 
manual labor. We refer to His charge to the Seventy, to whom 
He said : " The laborer is worthy of his hire." But when the 
nature and the extent of their mission is fairly and disinterest- 
edly considered, this also, is directly in our favor! What then 
was the nature and extent of the mission of the Seventy? They 
were sent as Apostles by Christ in person, and their mission 
was of a specific nature, being exceedingly limited in extent and 
duration. They were sent to proclaim the near approach of 
the kingdom of God to the cities and people of Judea only; and 
as a proof of the divinity of their mission, they were empow- 
ered to perform miracles. " Heal the sick in whatever city ye 
enter," said He to the Seventy. And when they returned from 
their tour of Judea, they reported to Christ in these words : 
<{ Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name?''* 
After this, no more is said about them, and the fair inference is 
that they returned to their usual occupations. — Luke^ c. 10. — - 
This mission occupied perhaps a few weeks ! What can any 
permanent officer of the church, in any age, make out of this, as 
an excuse for receiving pay for their services, and that too in a 
settled church ? There is no resemblance between the two 
whatever ! Furthermore, it is an undeniable truth, that the 
Apostles did labor at their usual occupations for a support for 
themselves and families, from their first call to the day of Pen- 
ticost. When traveling with Him they carried their own pro- 
visions with them. Hence, at the feeding of the five thousand 
and of the three thousand, they produced their " basket of 
loaves and fishes." Also, Christ, on one occasion, cc saw two 
ships standing by the lake, but the fishermen were gone out of 
thera, and were washing their nets ; and He entered into one 
of them, which was Simon Peter^s, and taught the people whc\ 



tSLEATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 247 

stood on the shore. Now, when He had left speaking, He 
said to Simon, 'launch out into the deep and let down your 
nets for a draught ;' and Simon answering, said : * Master, we 
have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing, nevertheless, 
at thy word I will let down the net.' And when they had thus 
done, they enclosed a great multitude of fishes, and their net 
broke ; and they beckoned unto their partners which were in 
the other ship, that they should come and help them,"— 
" Peter's partners were James and John," We know it is said 
that " they forsook all and followed Him." But from all the 
circumstances connected with the Apostles during the abode 
of their master on eanh, up to His ascension into Heayen; yea, 
to the day of Penticost, two months after that event, no fair 
conclusion can be drawn from those words, that they did not 
continue their occupations as a means of support, personally, 
as opportunity afforded. For it was whilst Peter, Thomas, 
Nathaniel, John and James, were fishing on the sea of Tiberias, 
that Christ first showed himself to them after His resurrection. 
The exceeding simple truthfulness of the relation of that cir- 
cumstance is worth noticing here. " Simon Peter said unto 
them, i I go a fishing,' they say unto him, ' we also go with 
thee.' They went forth and entered into a ship immediately, 
and that night they caught nothing ; but when the morning was 
come, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples knew Him 
not. Then Jesus said unto them, 'children, have ye any meat-' 
and they answered no ; and He said unto them, ' cast the net on 
the right side of the ship, and ye shall find.' They cast there- 
fore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of 
fishes ! Therefore, that disciple whom Jesus loved, said unto 
Peter, c h is the Lord !' " The manner of this narrative shows 
conclusively that the Apostles did not abandon, during their 
training for their high office, their usual occupation alotgether; 
but still maintained themselves and families by it. Here then, 
we see the Son of God himself, " in whom dwelt the fullness 
of the Godhead bodily," pursuing a mechanical calling, and 



"MS TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY 

His ambassadors that of fishermen, and laboring with their 
own hands ! What Christian, therefore, will presume to say 
that manual labor is derogatory to, or incompatible with any 
office, even the very highest in the church ? 

Will it be replied that in them days, such vocations were 
reputable. With whom were they so ? Not surely with the 
wealthy ; nor yet with the Priest, nor with the Scribes and 
Pharisees, for the humble manner of life, and also the humble 
origin ot Christ was to them a cause of reproach. They ex- 
claimed : " Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the 
brother of James, and Joses, and Juda, and Simon ; (and no 
doubt all carpenters,) and are not His sisters here with us ?— 
And they were offended at him. ?? 

Again, Christ said in reference to this very subject, viz : 
teaching Christianity : " Freely ye have received, freely give.'* 
And Paul quotes Him to the Bishops of Ephesus, to strengthen 
his own arguments on the same topic, as saying : " It is more 
blessed to give than to receive." The Apostle Peter thus 
charges all Bishops every where: "Feed the flock of God 
which is among you, taking the oversight thereof not by con- 
straint, but willingly ; not iorjiUhy lucre, but of a ready mind ; 
neither as lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to 
the flock, and when the chief shepherd shall appear, ye shall 
receive a crown of glory that fade^h not away. n Any other 
than a deeply interested or a very prejudiced mind, would not 
hesitate to say that Peter evidently meant that Bishops should 
not presume to ask compensation for their trouble of oversee- 
ing the interests of their brethren ; but on the contrary, they 
should do so willingly and cheerfully, as an act of brotherly 
love, and look for their reward in the world to come. To 
what trouble will not an affectionate brother go, to aid his own 
mother's son when needed ? Will he bargain for a pecuniary 
compensation before he moves ? This would be doing it by 
constraint and not willingly and cheerfully ! Such would not 
be a brotherly act at all, for any stranger — yea, the most mer- 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 249 

cenary man, would do the same if paid. Money- — compensa- 
tion, would be the moving, the constraining cause ; and that 
too, would be all the reward that he had a right to expect.— 
No crown of glory for him ! — verily he has his reward ! 

But however convincing what has been presented may be, 
yet we do not rest our cause here — far from it. We have other 
proof, not, to be sure, more authentic or disinterested, for that is 
impossible; but more full, clear and positive. 

The testimony to which we allude, is " Paul, the Apostle of 
Jesus Christ, by the will of God the Father !" This testimony 
is given by his precepts and by his example, throughout his 
whole ministry. Yea, we will prove by him that he labored 
working with his own hands for his own maintainance, whilst 
discharging the laborious duties of his office, and that he did it 
exclusively as an example to all permanent officers of all Chris- 
tian churches, through all time. 

We shall, first of all, call the attention of the reader to the 
Apostle in the city of Corrinth. This city, for splendor, opu- 
lence, learning, refinement, luxury and dissipation, and religion 
too, rivaled imperial Rome in the heighth of her glory ! Her 
temples dedicated to religion, were erected at a vast expense 
of treasure, and endowed with great revenues, by a refined, 
learned, and voluptuous but deluded people. There was seen 
a numerous Priesthood, ministering at as many altars, clothed 
in magnificent robes of office, and reposing in idleness and in 
luxury on the offerings of the people, as a reward for their in- 
tercession with, and responses from the gods. The philoso- 
phers also, were seen seated in their costly and splendid por- 
ticos, magisterially delivering lectures on science, elocution and 
logic, to their disciples. There it was that pleasure, pride, 
Priestcraft, devotion and dissipation in all its varied forms, 
reigned unmolested ! There, the god of this world reigned 
without a rival ! There, was not found one to dispute his 
sovereignty ! 

We have given this truthful description of this city, that the 



'250 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

reader may see clearly the situation in which the Apostle was 
placed, and the circumstances by which he was surrounded, 
that they may the better judge of his conduct under them. As 
it is a maxim not unfrequently adopted by what are called 
Christian Ministers — H when in Rome, do as Rome does"— 
meaning thereby, that when placed in and among, what, by the 
world, are called relied society, we should show ourselves 
equeally as refined as they. The excuse for this sentiment, is, 
that to get a hearing from such, we must put on a refined and 
respectable appearance, and adapt our addresses to their learned, 
and polite ears, and tastes! There is hardly any course of con- 
duct pursued by men, that is not endeavored to be justified by a 
necessity for it, or expediency. So that, where there is no set- 
tled and well defined rule of christain conduct, reaching all cir- 
cumstances, Christianity can be made to mean almost any thing, 
as it may suit the tastes of men, and as it is now being done! — 
This obvious truth, shows the necessity, for all honest persons, 
who are desirous of knowing the whole truth, to seek it exclu- 
sively in the precepts, and the examples of Christ and his Apos- 
tles. The truth of the christian religion being nowhere else to 
be found. 

To this great city of learning and refinement then, Paul, the 
Apostle of Jesus Christ, directs his weary steps ! Satan 
" snuffed the battle from afar," and he marshalled his hosts to 
meet it. If he could have infused into Paul a spirit of accom- 
modation, under the plea of gaining ready access to all classes, 
he would have been sure of a triumph in the end. We may be 
assured that every effort was made on his part, by presenting 
very plausible suggestions ; but Paul was a "soldier of the 
cross," under the " Captain of Salvation," and disdained any 
of the weapons of the " god of this world ;" " but armed with 
the whole armor of God, on the right hand and on the left a " 
he had no vulnerable part ! Faith in the divinity of the mission 
of Christ was his shield, and the word of God his sword. Thus 
armed he enters the arena ! How and where do we find tfcis 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 251 

^chief of Apostles ?" — this ambassador of the mighty God? 
These questions might be fully and satisfactorily answered by 
asking hoio andichere do we find the " Son of God," his mas- 
ter, when in the world ? " for it is enough if the servant be as 
his master." 

Does Paul appear at Corrinth armed with the wisdom of 
this world, with which to contend against its wisdom, such 
as literature affords, elocution, logical sophistry, or any of 
the arts and blandishments of oratory ? Does this Apostle 
of Christ assume what is called by men a respectable ap- 
pearance in society, or even as the pupil of the learned 
Gamaliel, well instructed in the comments of the law, and 
versed in all the " tradition of the Elders i 1 " In a word, 
does he appear there as a gentleman theologian ? And does he 
seek the residence of some wealthy Jew ? No, verily, he had 
not so learned Christ. " All these he counted loss for the ex- 
cellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus, the Lord." "He 
had determined to know nothing among men but Christ, and 
Him crucified ;" " though this was to the Greeks foolishness, 
and to the Jews a stumbling block." 

Paul then, in his office of an "Apostle, not of men but of 
God," takes up his residence in the splendid city of Corrinth, 
with Aquila and Pricila, a poor Jewish family, "because he was 
of the same craft" — that is, tentmakers. This is the reason as- 
signed in the Acts for his selection of this family. Here ihen, 
is where we find him. But how? What does he do ? Does 
Paul claim his undoubted right as an Apostle, duly accredited 
as coming from the "God of their Fathers," and live in idleness 5 
Aquila would have felt his house honored, highly favored, by 
having such an exalted messenger under his roof; and would 
have entertained him gladly ; yea, there were many Jewish 
families in Corrinth, that would have contended for this dis- 
tinguished privilege; "for God had much people there" — 
many " who waited for (he promise made to the fathers" of the 
coming Messiah — of that " Prophet who should be raised up 



252 TKEATXSE ON CHRISTIANITY* 

by God in the room of Moses, and whom they were com- 
manded to hear in all things which he should speak." But 
Paul had determined differently. He therefore goes to work, 
making tents with Aquila ! Thus " laboring, working with 
his hands for his maintainance," and at the same time discharg- 
ing his duty as an Apostle of Jesus Christ ; for no man will 
dare to say that Paul neglected any part of the duties of his 
mission ! That he did so labor in this city, for the space ot 
about two years at one time, we will prove most conclusively 
before we have done. But let us first see kow he discharged 
his duties. He enters Corrinth, takes up his residence from 
choice with a poor family, and goes to work as a journeyman 
mechanic. Truly Paul was a man, yet he was endowed with 
more than mortal wisdom, and clothed with more than angelic 
authority ! He could teach their proud philosophers wisdom, 
and their no less haughty Priests, understanding ; yet he chose 
to be looked upon as Paul the tentmaker ! 

On the Sabbath day, consecrated by God as a rest from labor 
and worldly toil, and set apart for religious service, this tent- 
maker with Aquila his fellow-craftsman and family, repairs to 
the synagogue to worship the God of their fathers. He as- 
sumes nothing there, but after the Elder had read a portion of 
the law and of the Prophets, and given the customary permis- 
sion " for any brother present who had a word of exhortation 
for the people, to say on," this mechanic avails himself of his 
right as a Jew, and rises in his place, and proclaims the mes- 
siahship of Jesus, the crucified ! " He proves from Moses, 
the Prophets and the Psalms, that Christ must needs have suf- 
fered, died and rose again ;" and through His name only, was 
to be proclaimed the remission of sins, and that henceforth God 
could only be approached through His sacrifice; but that both 
Jew and gentile might thus draw nigh with assured confidence. 
The nature and the style of the Apostles discourses at Corrinth, 
may be easily determined by his letters to the churches, and 
more especially from those to the Romans and Hebrews. This, 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 253 

his opening discourse, doubtless contained much that is found 
in Hebrews. 

We may imagine the effect of Paul's first discourse on the 
minds of his hearers. Such as waited patiently, and anxiously 
desired the appearance of "Messiah, that is called Christ," as 
taught by Moses and the Prophets, drank in all the Apostle 
said, like as the thirsty ground drinks in the rain. They would 
retire to their homes and " search the Scriptures, to see if these 
things were so." Whilst others, satisfied with the gains of 
this life, would retire with a disposition of resentment at the 
proclamation of a crucified Messiah ! They had been instructed 
by their learned Rabbins to expect a triumphant deliverer, who 
would place their nation on the pinnacle of glory — one who 
" would claim the Heathen for his inheritance, and the utter- 
most parts of the earth for a possession." They too, would 
search the Scriptures, but under the instruction and guidance 
of commentators learned in the law! And the result was, as 
might have been expected, the hardening of their hearts against 
the truth. But where was Paul? He returned with Aquila 
and family to his lodgings, conscious of his rectitude, and strong 
in the divinity of his mission, and waited patiently for the fruits. 
" He had sown the good seed of the kingdom," and left it to 
find "good and honest hearts, there to take root, spring up and 
bear fruit, some thirty, sixty, and an hundred fold." The next 
morning found this ambassador of Heaven's King, industriously 
making tents ! " Paul may plant, and Apolus water, but God 
must give the increase !" He had done his part faithfully.— 
His conduct spoke this language : " I have delivered my mes- 
sage; let him that hath ears to hear— hear." How like his di- 
vine master, and how unlike his 'pretended successors of after 
times ! But when another six day's labors are ended, and 
another Sabbath day arrives, Paul and his fellow craftsman and 
family, again proceeds to the synagogue, and again he assumes 
in proper time, his right to give a word of exhortation ; and 
again he proclaims Christ and the resurrection! And iu this 



f54 TREATISE ON CHRIST! AN IT? . 

manner did he, as before stated, for two years in succession, 
continue to labor, working with his own hands for his main- 
tainance, six days in the week; and on the Sabbath preaching 
the unsearchable riches of Christ to all that would hear him. 
His success was considerable ; many Jews and Greeks believed 
and were baptized into obedience to Christ for the remission 
of sm. When prohibited the synagogue in one part of the 
city, he repaired, nothing daunted, to another. Until his work 
for the present being finished, satan was unchained, and having 
entered into the unbelieving Jews, they raised a tumult, and 
carried Paul before Galio, the Roman governor, and demanded 
his condemnation for teaching the Jews to worship God con- 
trary to their law. Gaiio's reproof of this religious persecu- 
tion was a noble one. "If," said he, 'it were a matter of wrong 
or wicked lewdness, O ye Jews,, reason would that I should 
bear with you ; but if it be a question of words and names, and 
of your law, look ye to it, for I will be no judge of such mat- 
ters,' and he drove them from the judgment seat.'' "And Paul 
a r ter this stayed yet a good while, and then took his leave of 
the brethren, and sailed thence into Syria, and with him Pri- 
eila and Aquila." 

It may be said at this stage of our argument, that we have 
only made out a probable case, we admit it ; but now we will 
proceed with our proof positive and irrefutable, that all the time 
he was at Corrinth and on all other occasions during his long 
ministry of perhaps thirty- three years duration, Paul did labor 
with his hands as a means of support ; and, also, the reason for 
Lis doing so. This fact and the reason will be found in his letter 
to the CorinthianSo 

The converts to Christianity at Corrinth and elsewhere, were 
composed of Jews and Gentiles; early education had of con- 
sequence, made deep impressions on the minds of both. The 
consequence of this was, that after the Apostle's departure, dis- 
putes arose on various questions of morals and expediency. — ■ 
These disputes were fomented and kept alive by " vain men," 



f&EATISE ON CHRISTIANITY, 255 

who professed also to be called of God to instruct the church. 
Each had gathered a party around him ; some were for Cephas; 
some, Apolus ; some, Paul ; and others would have none but 
Christ. Of consequence, the latter were the only sound part of 
the church, The Apostle being informed of this state of things, 
writes them two letters at different times, in which he assures 
them that all the accredited Apostles of Christ, as well as him- 
self, baptized disciples : not in their own name as though they 
were to be their disciples, but they baptized them into obedi- 
ence to Christ exclusively, and that the Apostles were only 
agents employed and duly accredited, to bring them under the 
government of Christ. He assures them also that Christ could 
nDt possibly be divided, and that all who taught any thing dif- 
ferent from himself, were false Apostles and deceivers. But one 
of the subjects of doubt and dispute, was the lawfulness of eat- 
ing meats which had been offered to idols. He tells them that 
where they were diligent in obeying the Gospel as he had in- 
structed them, they might innocently entertain different opinions 
when unconnected with the Gospel or precepts of Christ; but 
that all these were uncompromising, and that all who taught 
differently, whatever :heir pretentions might be, even if they 
came as " angels of light" or messengers from Heaven, must 
be dismissed from their fellowship as heretics and destroyers of 
the church. But even in things indifferent, such as meats 
offered to idols, the lawfulness or the unlawfulness did not de- 
pend on the simple fact of eating it, but on the circumstances 
and the condition of the persons who eat of it. " For meats 
of themselves commend us not to God ;■' and therefore, to those 
among you who are established in this great truth, u that there 
is but one God, and one Lord Jesus Christ," an idol is nothing;, 
and therefore, to you with this knowledge, whether you eat or 
forbear to eat, is a matter of indifference, and makes you neither 
the better or the worse. " Ho wbeit, there is not in every mar* 
this knowledge, for some, with conscience of the idol unto this 
hour, eat it as a thing offered to an idol, and their consciences 



356 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

being weak are defiled. But take heed brethren, lest by any 
means this liberty of yours became a stumbling block to them 
that are weak ; for if a man see thee who hast knowledge, sit 
at meat in the idol's temple, shall not the conscience of him 
that is weak, be emboldened to eat those things offered to idols, 
and through thy knowledge shall thy weak brother perish, for 
whom Christ died ? Wherefore if meat make my brother te 
offend, I will not eat meat whilst the world stands, lest I make 
rnv brother to offend." 

To the careful reader of this argument, three principles of 
much importance to the peace and well being of the church are 
stated ; first, that differences of opinion should not be made a 
cause cf alienation of the closest christian fellowship, whilst 
the absolute supremacy of Chris f is maintained inviolate, and 
His plain precepts observed ; second, that there are certain 
things lawful, and may be innocently indulged in by pen 
under circumstances and in conditions peculiar to themselves, 
which things, if participated in by others not so circumstanced 
and conditioned, it is sin, and will eventuate in their damna- 
tion ; and third, that it is an act of christian duty for a m 
deny himself of things to him lav-fid, if the indulging in 
is likely to hazard his brother's salvation. 

The Apo>tIe illustrates and enforces these principles, and es- 
pecially the two last, by reference to his own conduct, how he 
had voluntarily denied himself many things for the good _: 
church. This occupies the whole of the 9th chapter of 1st 
Corinthians ; such as the eating all things indifferently, a 
the pleasures of domestic life. "Have we not power (orlibe::v 
to lead about a sister, a wife, as well as other Apostles?" In 
the presence of aonscientious Jewish converts he denied b 
self his liberty as a christian, of eating all things, and only - U 
what the law allowed, lest he should wound the iess-informed 
consciences of the circumcision, who, had bound themselves 
by that right to the law of Moses, were nfraid of offending Gc t 
by disobedience; but they nevertheless obeyed Christ. He 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 267 

denied himself the comforts of domestic life, by refraining from 
marriage, because in his present state he could better serve the 
cause of Christianity. This was his only object in this act of 
self denial; for he declares that he had an equal right to lead 
about a sister or wife, as had the other Apostles. He then 
speaks of his privilege as an accredited ambassador of God, to 
live by his calling or vocation; this he calls his "power in the 
Gospel," as an Apostle of Jesus Christ. Of his being an Apos- 
tle and an ambassador of God, he had, heretofore, given the 
Corinthian believers ample proof. He therefore appeals to 
their personal knowledge for the truth of his claim in these 
words : " Am I not an Apostle ? Am I not free ? Have I not 
seen Jesus Christ, our Lord ? If I be not an Apostle to others, 
yet doubtless I am to you ; tor the seal of mine Apostleship are 
ye in the Lord." The Apostle had no fears that the Corinth- 
ians would, or could doubt his Apostleship ; he therefore, bold- 
ly appeals re them who had been ear and eye witnesses of the 
"signs infallible" as witnessed by them when he first appeared 
among them. Some of them had received extraordinary en- 
dowments and gifts of the Holy Ghost, by the imposition of 
his Lands ; and others had believed in the divinity of his mis- 
sion, by seeing the miracles performed by Paul. They were, 
then, the "seals of his Apostleship in the Lord." The proofs 
thus admitted, he shows from that admitted fact, his right to 
exemption from manual labor, and to live by the Gospel. He 
then enforces the reasonableness of this right by several analo- 
gous cases. First — the soldier, compelled to leave his accus- 
tomed vocation and fight the battles of his prince, has a right 
to be supported by his prince ; for " who goeth a warfare at his 
own charges?" Second — by the husbandman, who is compelled 
to labor, should be rewarded with the fruits of his vineyard. — 
Third — the shepherd, who supports and takes care of a flock, 
should eat of the product of that flock. Fourth— -the ex, that 
is compelled to tread out the corn of its master, should be fed 
by that master. Fifth— the Jewish Priesthood, who waited at 
Q 



258 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

the altar, were partakers with the altar, or lived by it. These 
were all compulsory and involuntary services. The prince could 
not war without soldiers, and they were compelled to obey ; the 
husbandman could not live without cultivating his vines, nor 
the shepherd without attending to his flock; the ox was com- 
pelled to tread out the corn ; sacrifices could not be offered 
without the daily attendance of the Priests and Levites. Even 
so, as the Gospel of God cannot be proclaimed without properly 
qualified and duly accredited ambassadors ; therefore, even so 
God hath ordained that they which proclaim the Gospel, should 
live of the Gospel. "But I have used none of these (to me 
lawful) things ; neither have I written these things that it should 
be so done unto me, for it were better for me to die, than that 
any man should make my glorying void." What was the 
leading object of the Apostle's glorying ? Not the preaching 
of the Gospel, for in this he had no more choice than had the 
soldier, the husbandman, shepherd, ox, or Priest. It was a 
vocation like those mentioned, zndforced upon the Apostles for 
life, under pain of damnation— as much so as a man's salvation 
depends on his obedience to Christ in keeping His precepts, 
Hear himself: " For though I preach the Gospel, I have noth- 
ing to glory of, for necessity is laid upon me, and woe is me 
if I preach not the Gospel ! What is my reward then ? Verily 
that when I preach the Gospel, I may make the Gospel of 
Christ without charge. 5 ' This was the only part of duty that 
was voluntary with Paul. And why did he do it ? " That I 
abuse not my power in the Gospel." 

The whole pith and force of the Apostle's reasoning is this : 
Some of you disciples at Corinth, by reason of your superior 
knowledge of Christianity, and of the nothingness of idols and 
their consequent impotency to do good or evil, may therefore, 
innocently eat meats offered to them. But there are others 
among you whose deep rooted prejudices in favor of their 
power, are not fully eradicated, and they do still consider an 
idol as something ; and, therefore, for them to partake of such 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 259 

meats, would be a denial of Christ and a heinous sin, and 
cause the destruction of souls for whom Christ died. There- 
fore, for you to partake of it, is an abuse of your power, to 
your brother's ruin and the great injury of the church, if by do- 
ing so your example would embolden your weak brother to do 
the same. In all such cases, it is your christian duty to your 
brethren, to deny yourselves things in your condition lawful, lest 
you make your brother to offend. You acknowledge that I am 
an accredited a ibassador of Christ, and as such I am exempt 
from manual I tbor, and have a legal right to live by my corn- 
pulsonj vocation. " I sow unto you spiritual things, 53 which 
none but an / ostle can do, and this too at the daily hazard 
of ray life ; ir herefore, but a very small matter that I should 

be supported, [ voluntarily renounce this, lest my example 

in this particu should embolden such in this, or in any age of 
the church, v tre not the accredited ambassadors of Christ, 
to follow my a pie to the destruction of their souls, and the 

great injury ■ church; and thus I should abuse my pou 

or liberty in the Gr >spel. What I require of you is nothing to 
what I have te, am now doing, and will continue to do 
whilst I live. STea, it were better for me to die, than by my 
example an) ?s in the Christian church should be embol- 

dened to clai i liary compensation for watching over their 

brethren, an icting the ignorant on the Sabbath day. — 

In what otln mid the Apnstle " abuse his power V In 

what other \ 1 his example be injurious ? Most assured- 

ly simple di.s i would never claim pecuniary compensation 
*or being C is! They could not expect to live by the 

Gospel ! The A . >3tle's example then, was lost on them ; and, 
moreover, it very likely that even inferior officer'? of 

the church w im the privilege of an Apostle ! Whom 

then was th mse of his power in the Gospel 1 ' the most 

likely to inj ', ^\n>n sense would say the very 

officers in the chur ! Then we say (as the greater embraces 
the lesser) th il I s unple of preaching the Gospel of Christ, 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIAN1TT. 

and laboring for his own support, embraces all, and by him 
was intended as an example for all. 

We think that it will require a considerable amount of school 
divinity and of logical sophistry, to evade the force of the 
Apostle's arguments, and to wrest them from their obvious in- 
tent and meaning. The great error of the Clergy on this par- 
ticular is this: They ignorantly or willfully conceive that they 
are the successors of the Apostles, and therefore, do their 
work, (for surely a succession in rffice implies a succession of 
-the same duties,) even as the Jewish Priests and Levites suc- 
ceeded Aaron, and done his work ! Than this, a more fatal or 
a more egregious error, never entered the brain of man, and 
with such as it is willful, it is blasphemy ! 

The office and the duties of the Priests arid of the Levites, 
Trerethe very same from Aaron down through all generations^ 
to the end of that dispensation: and that too, o[ erzry day in the 
year ! Whereas, the Apostles of Jesus Chrisl had a specific 
work to do, winch was entrusted to thero exclusively, and no 
others could do it, and for that work they were constituted in- 
fallible ; and they, having once proclaimed to the v-crld alhhs 
laws and precepts of the kingdom of Heaven, zvd churches or- 
ganized under those laws, and in the full possession of them, 
their ofrice and lives ceased together, as no longer needed. — 
There is not the remotest affinity be! ween the Apostles and 
their rffice, and the Bishops, crlhe highest office in the CbU- 
:ian Church and their duties! 

The Aposlle was well aware of the pronemss of men to cor- 
rupt every honest and virtuous institution to their own advan- 
tage, and that such men would eagerly catch at the shadow of 
a pretext for so doing. He therefore endured immense labor 
and toil amidst his extensive Apostolic duties, and the care of 
all the churches during their infant and imperfect ccnditi.cn, lest 
the use of his power by himself should be ibe -cause of sin in 
others. Yet, nevertheless, men even in that early day. did 
• : . \ Qr c:) ]i c; \ p r Ho-'? in nrcnrh Cbri '-- : - - ■ " 



TREATISE OK CHRISTIANITY. 261 

it ! And this claim was the more easily set up, because among 
Jews and Gentiles, Priests lived by their profession, and why 
not the teachers of this new religion ? These men were won- 
derfully vexed with Paul for not doing the same, so ardently 
did they desire his example to support their pretentions. They 
endeavored to injure his credit as a teacher, and they found a 
pretext from the exceeding simplicity of his language and man 
aer of life. They charged him with being illiterate and want 
ing in refinement. He was nothing more than a vulgar me- 
chanic, and unfit to address an assembly of genteel hearers !-— 
God would never send such a man to teach the ^reat mysterier 
of Religion ! How precisely do men agree in all ages and 
nations; for this very language is used by the successors of 
these teachers at the present day. But hear the reply of this 
true ambassador of God : " But though I be rude in speech, 
yet not in knowledge; but we are fully made manifest among 
you in all things, (to be Apostles ;) have I commuted an offence 
in abasing myself, (as these false teachers charge, by working 
with my hands, and by rejecting the sophistry and learning of 
the schools,) that ye might be exalted, (by my example and the 
purity of my doctrines,) because I have proclaimed to you the 
Gospel of God freely?" That whi'-h these teachers called hu- 
militating, was to Paul a cause of self-exallation, a concious- 
ness of Christian duty, and a source of glorying! And such 
an example did exalt disciples as an encouragement of industry 
and honest labor. These men are deceiving your confidence 
by good words and fair speeches. "But in all things I have 
kept myself from being burdensome to you, and so I will keep 
myself. As the truth of Christ is in me, no man shall stop me 
of this boasting," Here he takes a solemn oath, and swears by 
his Apostleship, that he never will set the example so much 
desired by these false Apostles, by receiving piy for preaching, 
" lest he abuse his power in the Gospel" and by his example, 
open the door (as he foresaw it would) to make " merchandize 
of the Gospel of God." Let my traducers say what they may; 



262 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

let them exalt themselves from labor, by debasing you and your 
honest vocations as menial drugery, and as beu?th their refined 
feelings ; let them bring you into bondage to themselves, and 
corrupt the Gospel by their " fables" and " fair speeches ;"let 
them devour you with contentions ; let them take from you 9 
that they may live in idleness ; all this you willingly suffer. — - 
Be it so, yet no consideration shall move me from my settled 
purpose of refraining to set so destructive an example, and 
make the Gospel of God a mercenary thing. " Wherefore ?— 
Because I love you not? God knoweth." So far were the 
people from being unwilling or unable to support the Apostle, 
that they were displeased for his refusal. He gives his reason 
for so doing : " But what I do, that I will do, that I may cut 
off occasion from them which seek occasion, that wherein they 
glory, they may be found even as us." His evident meaning is 
this : If these teachers who are destroying you under false pre- 
tences, will assume the honor of our office, to be consistent, let 
them also follow our example, and labor with their own hands 
as we do. He well knew what the consequence would be in 
that case ; their call would cease with their emoluments! — "for 
such are false Apostles;" "deceitful workers, transforming 
themselves into Apostles of Christ; and no marvel, satan him- 
self is transformed into an angel of light, (or messenger of 
God;) therefore, it is no great thing if His ministers also be 
transformed into the ministers of righteousness, whose end shall 
be according to their works." " Such serve not our Lord 
Jesus Christ, but their own bellies, and by fair speeches and 
good words, deceive the hearts of the simple." 

Whether all these teachers were real hypocrites, or whether 
satan had induced them to imagine they had a call from God. 
matters not. The force of the Apostle's pointed remarks are 
the same, and that is, an utter condemnation of any man's re- 
ceiving pay for preaching the Gospel of Christ. All such ren- 
der themselves liable to strong suspicion of the want of sincerity 
of intentions. It will be said that false teachers are meant,— 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 263 

We freely admit it. But false teachers and such as receive pe- 
cuniary compensation, are, by the Apostles, so completely 
blended together, as not to be distinguished by all the theolo- 
gians and doctors oi divinity that ever existed ! 

Paul, again, on the same subject says : " Behold the third 
time I am ready to come unto you, and I will not be burden- 
some unto you ;" " I will gladly spend and be spent for you, 
though the more abundantly I love you, the less I am loved by 
you. But be it so. Did I make gain of you by any of them 
whom I sent unto you ? I desired Titus, and with him I sent 
a brother. Did Titus make gain of you ? Walked we not in 
the same steps ? Walked we not in the same spirit ?" On no 
subject is the Apostle more earnest than on that of pecuniary 
compensation for preaching the Gospel of Christ ! He makes 
it a fundamental doctrine of Christianity ; one on which the 
purity and the integrity of the Church depended. He would 
endure the alienation of disciples from himself, rather than yield 
to their solicitations ! Yet, on all indifferent matters " he was 
all things to all men, that he might gain the more." And all 
his fellow laborers done the same, working with their own 
hands for a maintainance. Who will attempt a denial of this? 

Our next quotations are from Thesalonians, where he thus 
speaks : " Not of men sought we glory, neither of you, nor of 
others, when we might have been burdensome unto you, even 
as the Jlpostles of Christ ; but we were gentle among you even 
as a nurse cherisheth her children" — "for ye remember brethren 
our labor and travail, for laboring night and day, because we 
would not be chargeable to any of you ; w T e preached unto you 
the Gospel of God freely. Ye are witnesses and God also, how 
holily, justly, and unblameably, we behaved 0.ur»!yts ^mono- 
you that believe"— "for neither at any time used we flattering 
words, as ye know ; nor a cloak of covetousness, God is wit- 
ness" — " study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and 
to work with your own hands, as we commanded you." In his 
secorid letter to the same church, he thus writes : " Now we 



264 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

command you brethren, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, 
that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh 
disorderly, and not after the traditions which ye received of us, 
for ye know how ye ought to follow us, for we behaved not 
ourselves disorderly among you, neither did we eat any man's 
bread for naught, but wrought with labor and travail night and 
say, that we might not be chargeable, to any of you — not be- 
cause we have not power-, (as Apostles,) but to make ourselves 
ensamples unto you to follow us ; for when we were with you 
this we commanded, that if any man would not work, neither 
should he eat." 

Will any man say that Bishops and Deacons are not included 
in this solemn charge ? Were they no part of the church ; or 
were they above the Apostle's instructions ? He makes no dis- 
crimination. The charge is general, and embraces all disciples 
of every grade. He refers to his own and fellow laborer's ex- 
ample for their imitation, and charges them, and reiterates for- 
mer injunctions on the same subject ; he invokes the authority 
of Christ, to add to its force ! Let it not be said that the 
Clergy do labor. This would be a very silly subterfuge indeed \ 
for the Apostle unequivocally speaks of manuallahor, of men's 
temporal business, by which they and their families are to be 
maintained, and not by the church; and if any men, be they 
simple disciples, bishops, or deacons, who did not so do, 
they were commanded peremptorily to dismiss them from the 
church as disorderly members, for not obeying the precepts of 
Christ ! 

Our next reference is to the Acts of the Apostles. When 
Paul was on his last journey to Jerusalem, which terminated 
in his captivity and long imprisonment at Rome, he having ap- 
pealed to the tribunal of the Emperor. On his arrival at Mile- 
tus, forty miles from Ephesus, he sent some friends to that city, 
and collected around him all the Elders of the Ephesian churches; 
and when they were come, he gave them a solemn farewell 
charge in the following impressive manner: " Ye know frora 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 265 

thejlrst day that I came into Asia, after what manner I have 
been with you in all things ; serving the Lord with all humility 
of mind, and with many tears and temptations, which befel rae 
by the lying in wait of the Jews." "And now behold I go to 
Jerusalem bound in spirit, not knowing the things that shall 
befall me there, save only, that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in 
every city that bonds and affliction await me. But none of these 
things move me, neither count I my life dear unto me, so that 
I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry which I 
have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the Gospel of the 
grace of God. And now behold, I know that ye all among 
whom I have gone preaching the Gospel, shall see my face no 
more ;" " take heed, therefore, to yourselves, and to the flock 
of God, over which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to 
feed the church of God, which He hath purchased with His own 
blood; for I know this, that after my departure, grevious wolves 
shall enter in among you, not sparing the flock ; and also, of 
your own selves shall men arise speaking perverse things, to 
draw away disciples after them. Therefore, watch, and remem- 
ber that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every 
one of you night and day. And now brethren, I commend you 
to God, and to the word of His grace, which is able to build 
you up, and to give you an inheritance among them that are 
sanctified. I have coveted no man's silver, or gold, or apparel; 
ye yourselves know that these hands have ministered to my 
necessities, and to them that were with me. I have showed 
you how that so laboring, ye ought to support the weak ; and to 
the words of the Lord Jesus, who said ' ii is m-ore blessed to 
give than to receive.'' And when Paul had thus spoken, he 
kneeled down and prayed with them all; and they all wept sore, 
and fell on Paul's neck and kissed him, sorrowing most of all 
for the words which he had spoken, that they should see his 
face no more; and they accompanied him to the ship." 

This passage of itself should be sufficient to establish the 
fact or principle, for which we contend. But when taken in 



266 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

connection with what is contained in Paul's other letters of in- 
struction to the churches, coupled with his own example during 
his whole Apostolic ministry, and the subjecting himself to in- 
cessant toil day and night, and that too amidst the entreaties of 
disciples, and the ridicule of his enemies ! The determined 
manner of his expressions on the subject — "as the truth of God 
is in me !" — " it were better for me to die !" it amounts to a 
demonstration. Such is his strong adjurations on the subject 
of pecuniary compensation for preaching the Gospel of Christ ! 
And not that himself might not, as an Apostle, have inno- 
cently refrained from working, and have lived by the Gos- 
pel ; but purely for an example to Bishops and Deacons of Chris- 
tian churches in every age of Christianity, lest they, profiting 
by his example, should, under some pretence or other, demand 
pecuniary compensation for teaching Religion, and thus "make 
gain of Godliness," and merchandize of the " Gospel of the 
grace of God !" As deplorable and ruinous as such a conse- 
quence would be, yet this was not all. The Apostle foresaw, 
if possible, a still worse calamity, and that was the damna- 
tion of preachers and hearers ! — " immortal souls for whom 
Christ died," as a consequence ! 

Two important and unquestionable facts are contained in 
Paul's charge to the Ephesian Elders or Bishops. The first is, 
that he did, in that refined and splendid city, labor, working 
with his own hands as a mechanic, for his own support; and, 
also, that out of the proceeds of his own labor, he aided his 
traveling companions, and this too for the space of three years! 
Second, that he charged the Ephesian Bishops to adhere strict- 
ly to the example which he had been at so much toil and labor, 
" night and day," to set before them on this particular subject. 
To give the greater weight to his earnest farewell charge, he 
invokes the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ, who had said, 
"that it was more blessed to give than to receive !" 

It must not be forgotten that the Apostle was addressing at 
this time, none but Bishops of the churches— Bishops of 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 267 

churches of * fifty or sixty years standing, and they in the oppu- 
lent, refined, and learned city of Ephesus ! What shall we say 
to these things t Is it possible for the ingenuity of the most 
interested and the most corrupt among men, to evade these plain 
facts ? They surely cannot evade them. Then the only alter- 
native is, to openly declare that they will not have Christ to 
reign over them, but are determined to do as they please ! In 
that case, all argument, however convincing, and all proof, 
whether by the precepts and example of an Apostle of God, or 
even the words of the Son of God himself, are useless ! 

As for the majority cf those who now live by, and derive all 
their importance from preaching, we have but feeble hopes of 
convincing, or rather that they will acknowledge themselves 
convinced ; for it will require a greater amount of stupidity to 
be charged to them, than they would admit, or we will allow 
them, not to be satisfied of their entire conviction in their con- 
sciences, of the truth of all we contend for. 

But to this settled principle of Paul, there are two or three 
exceptions. One instance is found in his second letter to the 
Corinthians, and reads thus: "I robbed other churches, taking 
wages of them to do you service, and when I was present with 
you and wanted, I was chargeable to no man, for that which 
was lacking to me the brethren which came from Macedonia 
supplied ; and in all things I have kept myself from being bur- 
densome to you, and so I will keep myself." 

What can the Apostle's traducers make out of this humilia- 
ting confession of Paul? for in this light he viewed it. 4£ I 
robbed other churches ;" this expression corresponds fully with 
his fixed determination not to receive compensation for preach- 
ing the Gospel. For having voluntarily renounced that which 
belonged to him as an Apostle, he could not, consistently, re- 
ceive compensation, yet circumstances did occur, that rendered 
a departure, for the time being, from this rule ; and in this in- 
stance the church at Corinth was the cause. The presumption 
is, that the Apostle having received information of the havoc 



268 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

making in that church by those " busy bodies and disorderly 
persons ," who, professing to be " called of God," to take upon 
them the office of teachers, were tearing the church to pieces ; 
and " by good words and fair speeches, were drawing away dis- 
ciples after them," and not being prepared for this unexpected 
event, the brethren aided him in this emergency, and this he 
calls " robbing them," by which is meant taking that to which 
he made no claim. Now this is a fair inference, drawn from 
his acknowledged "law"" of conduct It must have been mirac- 
ulous indeed, if Paul, during many years of travel, toil and 
labor, and among strangers and enemies too, should never be 
overtaken with the want of employment, wherewith to supply 
his wants ! And the cause must be a desperate one, that would 
seize hold of such a. circumstance for its support ! That he ac- 
cepted but a mere trifle, is evident, for, he said, that the "breth- 
ren which came from Macedonia, supplied what was lacking." 
These brethren, were his companions. Paul had aided them, 
in their need, and they in turn aided him — they all, as we 
have seen, adhered to the same principle of self support, and la- 
boring with their own hands, for that purpose, and assisting 
each other, as circumstances required. 

Another instance of the Apostle's receiving aid, is found in 
his letter to the Philippians, of which he thus speaks : "But I 
rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at the last, your care for 
me hath flourished again, wherein ye were also careful, but ye 
lacked opportunity ; not that I speak in respect of want, for I 
have learned in whatever state I am, therewith to be content." 
"Now, ye Philippians, know also this, that in the beginning of 
the Gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church com- 
municated with me concerning giving and receiving, but ye 
only ; for even in Thesalonica ye sent once and again unto my 
necessities. Not that I require a gift, but I desire fruit that 
may abound to your account." What were the circumstances 
under which this letter was written? The Apostle was & pri- 
soner at Rome, and the means of his own support consequently 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 289 

cutoff; (he remained in prison two years.) The Philippians 
sent their Elder, Epaphroditus, to visit him, and with him they 
sent some aid. Paul, ever grateful (as all modest men are,) 
for the smallest favors, sends this letter of acknowledgment, in 
which he gives vent to his grateful feelings, and tells them that 
he had not forgotten other instances of their kindness on other 
occasions of his afflictions; not that he desired it so much on 
his own account, for he was content with much or little; but 
that they did well in thus showing their love for him, and their 
Christian sympathies in his imprisonment and afflictions. Who 
could avoid loving such a man as Paul, the Apostle? So 
modest, so grateful, and so unassuming! Though an ambassa- 
dor of the most High God. yet he was a man, and subject to all 
the afflictions of which flesh is heir to. Nothing but his own 
settled determination could have induced his converts — his own 
children in the Gospel, to have permitted him to labor one 
hour for his own support; but he was determined thai no man 
— no persuasion of men. , should take from him that ground of 
glorying, that when he. preached the Gospel he would make the 
Gospel of Christ without charge. And this he did, not that he 
had not power as a special messenger sent by God himself, but 
that he might cut off occasion from them who sought occasion 
to make gain of Godliness, and merchandize of the Gospel of 
Christ, and thus make the Gospel a mercenary thing ! This 
state of things Paul looked upon as tae greatest calamity that 
could befall the church, Christ calls such, " hirelings," 
" strangers," " false prophets,'' " wolves in sheep's clothing;" 
and the Apostle calls them " busy bodies, working not at all," 
" ministers of satan, transforming themselves into ministers of 
righteousness;" " false Apostles, who by good words and fair 
speeches, deceived the unsuspecting;" "deceivers and false 
workers, who, with their lying wonders, would, (if it were possi- 
ble,) deceive the very elect of God; r ' also, "disorderly persons," 
acting contrary to the Christian principle laid down by himself, 
"that if any man, whether he be bishop, overseer, deacon or 



270 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

member, if he would not work neither should he eat." In all 
these things he had set them an example in his own person. Not- 
withstanding he, as an Apostle of the God of Heaven, was in 
that character as much exempt from that rule as were the Jew- 
ish Priests ; and though God had obligated himself to support 
him, as a king is under obligations to support the soldiers 
whom he drags from their occupations to fight his battles ; or, 
as the ox, that treads out the corn for his owner, is in justice 
and humanity, entitled to eat of it. So, he being compelled by- 
God, on pain of damnation, to abandon his country and kin- 
dred, and his usual means of support, and to travel through the 
world, amidst strangers and enemies, exposed to all kinds of 
dangers. God under these circumstances, had granted him the 
power of living by the Gospel; yet he had voluntarily renounced 
that right to set an example to others- — to such as neither pos- 
sessed his rights, and were not exposed to his sufferings or 
privations. 

He also said that these Bishops were made overseers by the 
Holy Ghost. He does ■, and what of that ? We contend that 
all Bishops should be made overseers of all Christian churches 
by the Holy Ghost, as were those of Ephesus. Then the church 
would be well governed. Select a man of age, integrity, and 
sound Christian experience, and well read in the Holy Scrip- 
tures, and you have a Scriptural Christian Bishop, selected by 
the Holy Ghost. A plain, honest, incorruptible, vigilant and 
aged citizen— one much esteemed by his neighbors for his 
modest behavior. He is not to be a legislator — not an ex- 
pounder — not a composer of long prayers-— not a framer of 
beautiful discourses to please the fancies and tickle the itching 
ears of men ; but his business is to see that the flock over which 
he is overseer, are fed "with sound doctrine" — u even the words 
of our Lord Jesus Christ, which are able to build them up, and 
to give them an inheritance among all them that are sanctified." 
Peter said that disciples " should desire the sincere milk of the 
word, that they may grow thereby ;" that is, the pure unmixed 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 271 

word of God — the unadulterated word as it proceeded from 
Christ, and from the Apostles of Christ. James calls them the 
" law of liberty," in which the disciples should look, and regu- 
late themselves accordingly. Christ calls them " his voice," 
which his sheep must follow. Now, the pure, unadulterated word 
of God and the Holy Ghost, are inseparably the same. What- 
ever, therefore, is done as directed by that word, is done by 
the Holy Ghost. This is the only safe method of ascertaining 
the mind of the Holy Ghost ; for certainly no sound Christian 
will say that his own impressions are to be the rule of his ac- 
tions ! It is well known that impulses deceive very honest 
men, and the most dangerous errors have been, and still are 
propagated under the conviction of a divine call. Men will 
denounce each other in the pulpit, as perverters of the Gospel, 
and yet all profess to be called of God, and moved by the Holy 
Ghost to expound His word ! Now we are not willing to call 
all these men hypocrites, but they have been deceived by im- 
pressions, nourished by their inclinations, and encouraged by 
long standing prejudices ; and these again supported by learned 
men of modern and ancient times. These authorities have pre- 
vented them from learning Christianity of its author and foun- 
der. It is extremely dangerous to interpret our impulses to be 
the voice of the Holy Ghost; but we should interpret them by 
the word of God — by that infallible word that never changes, 
and which speaks one language at all times, and in all nations. 
We must thus ascertain the mind of the Holy Ghost as to who 
is called or worthy to use the office of Elder, Bishop, or Over- 
seer of the church of God. 

Such is the only call recognized by the Christian system, as 
revealed to us in the Holy Scriptures ; and most assuredly it is 
the only one that can be depended on, with anything approxi- 
mating to safety. 

Why should an Elder, Bishop, or Overseer of the church, re- 
ceive pecuniary compensation ? Only one day in seven is dedi- 
cated to religious worship, and on that day it is his duty to 



272 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

preside in the assembly of disciples. This does not interfere 
with his temporal vocations at all. This divine command is as 
applicable to them as to other men : " Six days shalt thou labor 
and do all thou hast to do, but the seventh is the Sabbath of 
the Lord, thy God ; in it thou shalt do no manner of work," &c. 
If an innocent custom makes it their duty to attend the burial 
of the dead, by that they lose no more time than do their 
neighbors, and such never charge for attendance ! If they are 
called to unite a couple in wedlock, the invited guests lose as 
much time, and go to more expense than does the Bishop, and 
only receive a part of the entertainment as a reward ; this is 
equally free for him, and in addition to this he gets a free-will 
offering of silver and gold! If, therefore, any officer in a settled 
church be entitled to compensation, it is the deacon and sexton. 
The one collects and distributes aid to the sick and poor of the 
church, and these duties may trench a little on his time ; but 
the sexton, in consideration of labor performed, stands much 
higher as a candidate for compensation than either the Bishop 
or Deacon ! The plea put in as an excuse for a reward for ser- 
vices rendered by these assumed Reverened gentlemen, we will 
examine in another place, as we purpose devoting a goodly num- 
ber of pages to them and their assumed perogatives and pre- 
tentions ; and we will show that they are founded in rebellion 
against God and his Son, Jesus Christ ! 

There is one exception to what we have said, and that is 
what are called by the Holy Ghost, Evangelists, They travel 
at large, and their duties are to call the attention of mankind to 
the subject of religion, and to form them into associations in 
the name of Christ, as His disciples. Having set things in order 
by ordaining such men as are so graphically designated by the 
Holy Ghost, as Elders ; then all such associations having the 
Holy Scriptures, are complete in all things needful for their per- 
fection in Holiness and Christian instruction. As the Apcstle 
calls it, "they are complete in Christ." With them the labors 
of the Evangelist ceases. 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 273 

This office is not permanent, but depends on circumstances. 
They are selected by the church, and by the same the duration 
and extent of their labors are determined. The important na- 
ture of the duties of an Evangelist requires that great caution, 
on the part of the church, is necessary in their selection of those 
who are to fill it. None but men of mature age, sound in the 
ene faith, of sterling and well tried integrity, should be selected. 
But such being usually men of families, and not rich in this 
world's goods, the church becomes the guardians and protec- 
tors of their temporal interests during their mission abroad, and 
that being ended, they return to their usual occupations, and 
the church is relieved from that charge. If, however, the cir- 
cumstances of a man be such, as to enable him to act as an 
Evangelist without burdening the church, and he be willing to 
relinquish his right to a support, his reward in Heaven will be 
great. But in all cases where compensation is given by the 
church, that man need expect no reward hereafter. This is a 
conclusion of an Apostle of Jesus Christ. The principle as 
settled by Heaven is this : sacrifices made in this life for the 
truth of God, alone secures a reward in the life to come. It 
was in the discharge of duties of a kindred nature (only of a 
much higher trust) that God 'permitted the Apostles to live by 
the Gospel. All others are excluded from pecuniary compen- 
sation by express prohibition of the laws of the kingdom of God, 

R 



PART THE FIFTH. 

The Clergy— their Rise, and Progress of their Vain and Ruinous Assumptions, 

The term Clergy in its original and Scriptural meaning, is 
heritage. God's heritage are His Clergy, and means His 
church and people, as separted from the world. The Apostle 
Peter uses it in its proper sense when charging the Elders in 
these words : " Neither as being lords over God's heritage" or 
Clergy. This term was not arrogated by any officer in the 
Christian church earlier than two hundred years after Christ ; 
and then they began to lay claim to extraordinary privileges 
and power over the church. The ground work of these privi- 
leges and of that authority, the same order of men, both Papal 
and Protestant, claim at the present day ! This we will prove 
conclusively. They all claim to be specially selected from the 
body believers, and separated from them by the all- wise and in- 
finitely benevolent Jehovah, for the exclusive purpose of ex- 
pounding His revelation, to direct the faith and practice of his 
people, and to make valid and available the ordinances of the 
Christian religion ! and that as a distinct order in the church, 
they are an indispensible part of the plan devised by the wisdom 
and prudence of Almighty God for the salvation of the world 
and the perfection of His church ! As we shall prove, this 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 275 

claim develops its consequences as time and circumstances ad- 
mit. The reason why they assume the designation of "Clergy" 
is, being, as they assume, in a superlative sense, "God's heri- 
tage," selected by Him as His special favorites, and qualified in 
a peculiar manner, to guide His Israel ! Now, if this be true, 
all that we have said in these pages relative to Christianity and 
of the " Christian Church," is false ! The teachings Df the 
Son of God and His Apostles, and the assumptions of the 
Clergy, so called, are as opposite as the poles ! 

The Clergy, as on all other subjects, so on the grades per- 
taining to their own order, differ very materially ; every sect 
holding opinions peculiar to themselves, from the Pope down 
to Joe Smith ! And what is equally absurd, all of them, when 
defending their claims, will refer you to the Apostolic commis- 
sion, " go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every 
creature," &c. They will, also, refer you to the command 
given by Christ to the seventy disciples; they will refer you to 
the Evangelists, such as Timothy, Titus and Apollos; they will 
refer you to the Elders and to the Deacons; and there is not a 
man that is even casually alluded to as performing any duty, 
in all the New Testament, but what the whole order claim to 
represent ! We have shown that the Apostles were [he personal 
representatives of ihe Lord Jesus Christ, and selected by Him 
in person, and superhumanly qualified as the sole repositories 
of the laws of His kingdom, with a compulsionary command to 
publish them as received to all mankind ; and having done 
that, and organized associations under those laws, and appoint- 
ed proper persons to oversee and inspect the same, and to see 
that the laws of the kingdom of God were duly observed, and 
given them all needful instructions as they received it from 
Christ himself; then their mission and office ceased. We 
have shown that the mission and office of the seventy lasted 
only a few weeks, or months at most; we have shown that 
Evangelists, such as Timothy, Titus and others, were men se- 
lected by the Apostles, and acted as their agents, under specific 



276 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

instructions from them ; and their duty was to impart ver- 
batim, as they received it, and to organize associations as 
directed by the Apostles, and that their faithfulness con- 
sisted in implicitly obeying the Apostles. True, they might, 
in their exortations t© obedience, make use of such language as 
prudence suggested, 

In speaking of the Apostolic organization of the Christian 
church, we have demonstrated that such an order of men as 
now called Clergy, are not recognized. They are, therefore, 
the remains of the Papal apostacy, and do practically claim to 
direct the faith of believers, and thereby effectually destroy 
ail pure discipleship, and exercise " lordship over God's heri- 
tage." The reader has discovered before this, that we have 
excluded all authority whatever, save that of the Holy Ghost, 
as the dictator of the Holy Scriptures. 

But independent, and in confirmation of the Seriptures, we 
have the authority oi the history of the church after the times 
of the Apostles, for saying that no such an order of men was 
known to Christianity for two hundred years after Christ ! — 
This is an incontrovertible fact, so far at least as history can be 
depended upon — for such is the testimony of history. Accord- 
ing to that testimony, each and every assembly of believers, 
was a complete, perfect, and independent church, convened in 
the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, as His disciples, knowing: 
and acknowledging no other teacher or ruler. In each assem- 
bly there was one or two, who, on account of the nature of his 
station, was denominated an "overseer" or "inspector," and bj 
reason of his age, called Elder. This man was not selected by 
God, but was elected by the free suffrages of his brethren, 
agreeable to the direetions so minutely given by the Apostle to 
Timothy and to Titus. The brother among them all, whose 
age and character came the nearest to that description, was 
selected ; and if the assembly had among them several of that 
description, two or more were put in nomination, and the choice 
was determined by ballot. Each assembly transacted its own 



TREATISE 02? CHRISTIANITY. 277 

business in peace and in quietness, under the guidance of their 
• ommon Lord and Master, Jesus Clirist. As for being selected 
by God for the purpose of expounding His revelation to His 
brethren, such a vain presumptuous thought never entered the 
hearts of these overseers ! They no doubt found it very diffi- 
cult to prevent such as wished to do so, from their rash attempts 
to shed light on the doctrines of God, by their puny intellects. 
It was the duly of the inspector to see to it, that no " voice" of 
control was heard in the church, but that of the " Son of God," 
whose house and family he watched over, to guard it from such 
intrusion, and to cause the voi«e of Christ to be obeyed im- 
plicitly. This Elder, himself, had no controlling authority, and 
was as much a subject of Christ as was the weakest brother. — 
His office was purely ministerial; Christ was his law-giver and 
judge, as well as that of his brethren. They were all equally 
disciples of " one master" — his office was the gift of his 
brethren, and as an officer in the church, his brethren controlled 
him ; for, certainly the power that creates is greater than the 
thing made. The authority of Christ had not, as yet, been 
usurped — He was still recognized as " King in Zion." No 
Elder at this period of Christianity, had the presumption w 
11 lord it over God's heritage," by proposing creeds and con- 
fessions of faith, agreeable to his construction of the meaning of 
God's tvord. They had not so soon forgotten the express dud 
the positive command of the " Son of God," who said : "Be 
not ye called masters;" and again: u Call no man master on 
earth, for one is your master, even Christ, and all ye are breth- 
ren." Neither had the frequent and urgent exhortations, and 
the warnings of the holy Apostles been forgotten on that vital 
subject. These things had not yet lost all their force on the 
minds of the overseers of the church of God ; indeed, so ex- 
tremely tenacious and sensitive were the disciples in relation 
to the exclusive authority of Christ in their assemblies, that they 
had a throne erected in their midst, on which was elevated 
God's word, as a king in their midst! — significantly meaning 



278 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

thereby, that Christ alone was their governor, teacher and guides 
This simple, Christian, and Apostolic form of government, 
continued nearly to the 3d century ! It must not, however, be 
supposed that the church had no enemies in her bosom, and 
that men were not as ambitious then as they are now, by no 
means ; but they were then, as now, and as the history of man- 
kind of all kindreds, nations, ages and countries, proves them 
to have been ambitious, and "lovers of pleasure more than 
lovers of God." This selfish principle was visible in the 
Apostle's time, and it required all their influence to keep it 
under. u The mystery of iniquity began to work" long before 
they ended their labors. " I know," said the Apostle to the 
Ephesian Elders, " that after my departure, grevious wolves 
shall enter in, not sparing the flock ; and even from among your- 
selves (Elders) shall men arise, speaking perverse things, and 
draw away disciples after them," This " man of sin," this 
" mystery of iniquity," began to develop its true character 
about the commencement of the 3d century, and it was brought 
about too, by introducing " worldly policy," to aid the king- 
dom of Christ ! This was done by the Clergy — God's selected 
favorites! These men, presuming on the confidence of the mem- 
bers of their respective assemblies, began to assume to them- 
selves more self-importance than belonged to them, This was 
done by degrees ; at first, small deviations were attempted, such 
as were not noticed, or not considered by the disciples as worth 
opposing; or, if some far-sighted individuals saw, and pointed 
out the danger, they would be considered too particular and too 
sensitive ; beside, the improvements, so called, were proposed 
by " good and holy" men, and were, consequently, intended 
for the " glory of God" and the " good of the church." But 
the leak once opened, it increased gradually, until it obtained 
the mastery, and no effort could stop it, and the ship sunk ! — 
Though gradual, it was no less sure. 

About the close of the 2d century, these heretofore humble 
Elders, casting an eye on the political advantages Df the con* 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 219 

federacy of the Grecian states, proposed a confederacy of their 
respective assemblies. This was the first step of importance 
toward clerical domination — the first act in the terrible trage- 
dies afterwards enacted ! Now, it is possible, and even pro- 
bable, that the most of the Elders who acceeded to such a pro- 
position, had the welfare of Christianity in contemplation ; but 
they certainly had forgotten their calling. They should have 
known that the policy of the Princes of this world had no affinity 
with the kingdom of Christ. Who ever heard of a confederacy 
of the provinces of an absolute monarchy? for such is the church 
of God. 

The object of the union of states, is advantageous as a means 
of defence against powerful enemies; and also, on the maxim 
that in a " multitude of council there is safety." These states 
belong to the people, and they, of consequence, have the right 
to make laws for their own government, as citizens of their re- 
spective states, and for the safety of the confederacy ; for this 
purpose they choose certain of their fellow citizens, in whose 
wisdom and prudence they have confidence, as delegates to 
make laws. But this is founded on the supposition that the 
people are sovereigns, and can, therefore, delegate that 
sovereignty to whom they please. This is true in worldly 
governments, where the " divine right of kings" is not recog- 
nized ; but it cannot be true where such a " divine right" is 
admitted ; for, in that case, all -power of making laws for the 
government of the people, resides in the Monarch, as God's 
representative, and the people owe passive obedience to their 
King ! — not only the people, but also all the " ministers" of 
the law. The will of the Prince is law for all. This is pre- 
cisely the condition of the Christian Church. God has dele- 
gated His authority to His Son, Jesus Christ, for He said : 
"All power is given to me in Heaven and on earth;" and 
Again, "every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess that 
He is Lord, to the glory of God, the Father." This authority 
delegated to Christ, is not temporal, but spiritual ; for said He, 



280 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

" My kingdom is not of this world ;" and again it is said of 
Him, " Rule thou in the midst of thine enemies." This rule 
ot the Son of God is over His church and people, who, whilst 
in this world, are in the midst of His enemies. 

Christ Jesus, the Lord, therefore, being the only and the ab- 
solute sovereign of His people, by the appointment of God, the 
Father, they, themselves, as Christians, possess no authority 
which they may delegate to others ; for, said the Apostle, 
" every thought must be brought into captivity and obedience 
to Christ;" and he, himself, gloried in being a captive slave t© 
Jesus Christ, and as such, possessing no will of his own — the 
law of Christ being the zontrolling power by which all his spirit 
and conduct was governed. All believers then, from the least 
to the greatest, are alike the subjects of Christ, and among 
themselves, brother subjects ; none can claim that which all do 
not possess, in virtue of faith in Christ* The world never 
knew a more absolute sovereignty than that claimed by Jesus 
Christ over His kingdom, the church ; not a thought, not a 
whisper of control, dare be imagined or uttered by any indi- 
vidual subject of His kingdom ! We rejoice that in this coun- 
try at least, the " divine right" of Kings is repudiated, for no 
mortal man should ever be entrusted with absolute power ; but 
who will say that such power is not safe in the hands of God ? 
Where can the objector be found ? Who would desire to dwell 
under any other government ? Righteousness is the habitation 
of His throne, and His benevolence and love knows no limits ; 
for He so loved the world, as to give His only Son to die for 
us, even whilst we were enemies ! None but such as take 
pleasure in unrighteousness, can wish to supplant the authority 
of God over His church ! It is blasphemy to say that God has 
not ordered all things concerning His kingdom ! To doubt it, 
is to doubt His goodness and His wisdom. Then, as there are 
no laws to make, and no povver on earth to delegate authority 
for that purpose, the proposition of the Elders to imitate the con- 
federated states of Greece, was an act of rebellion against God> 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 281 

There is no resemblance whatever between the governments 
of this world and that of the kingdom of God. The worldly 
conditions of men are various and ever changing, and their 
laws are made and unmade to suit those changes ; hence, the 
propriety of frequent legislation. It is not so with the laws of 
the kingdom of God, they are as immutable as He is, and "with 
God there is no changeableness, nor shadow of turning." The 
demands of the Gospel of Christ were the same on the day of 
Penticost as now, and will forever be the same. Repentance 
toward God, and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, are the only 
terms of admission into the kingdom of God. HoY\ T ever proper 
and expedient it may be for worldly governments to form con- 
federacies for mutual protection, and to have representative as- 
semblies, composed of wise and discreet citizens, to make laws 
and regulations for their well being, yet, when applied to the 
church of God, it is treason against Christ. 

But to return to our narrative. These Elders however, seem 
to have thought that the Lord Jesus had not anticipated the 
future condition of His kingdom ; and, therefore, had not pro- 
vided for every exigency, determined on supplying this over- 
sight, and chose for their model the civil government of 
Greece, under which they lived. The first act of rebellion of 
the Jews, after they were established in the promised land, was 
to desire a king like the surrounding nations ! Though Moses 
had told them that they were amply provided with laws and 
statutes by God himself, far superior to all oiher people, and 
that their happiness and well being as a nation, depended on 
the due observance of them. So this first act of rebellion on 
the part of these Elders, was to form a government like unto 
the Grecian states; and they had as little reason for it as had 
the Jews. These Elders of the Christian assemblies, therefore, 
formed themselves into an association. These meetings were 
called by the Greeks, synods ; and by the Latins, councils. — 
Having now thrown off, virtually, the authority of Christ, all 
was lost, and corruption flowed in like a flood, and all the evils 



282 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY, 

attendant on civil governments were the result ; anarchy, rivalry 
and bloody contentions for place and power ensued ! At the 
first, the Elders claimed to be nothing more than the represen- 
tatives of their respective assemblies ; thereby acknowledging 
that all power resided in the disciples. They had not, as yet, 
assumed any " divine right" to expound or rule ! This claim 
was a further advance in rebellion ! It is a very singular fact 
that the Clergy of the present day, and Protestant Clergy too, 
men who profess to be learned in Christianity and in that 
history, should be ignorant of this most obvious truth in church 
history, viz : That no " divine right" was ever claimed by the 
Elders of the church, during the whole of the first two hundred 
years of Christianity ! Another strange oversight in them is, 
that the qualifications of an Elder, as is so very plainly given 
by the Holy Ghost through the Apostle, for the portrait ol a 
Bishop of a " Christian assembly," is given by the " Holy 
Ghost" so to the life, that it is impossible to mistake the man, 
and yet the Clergy seem to know nothing about it ! — or if they 
do know it, they pass it over as an idle tale ! And yet, if there 
be any authority in the written word of God ; if any weight of 
authority is due to the command of an Apostle of Jesus Christ, 
then such men as designated by the Apostle only, are approved 
of God, as overseers of " His church." And yet another very 
important truth is overlooked by them, and that is this : That 
the method of instruction pursued by the teachers in "Christian 
assemblies," was the reading of the Scriptures at length, ac- 
companied with cautions, exhortations and reproofs ; and these 
were called homilies — so called, because the greater part of the 
discourse consisted in reading the Scriptures. One or two 
hours occupied in " expounding" a few words of God's revela- 
tion, is of comparative recent invention ! How does it happen 
that all these primitive usages are entirely overlooked ? Why- 
is it that the doctrine of "divine right to expound God's word," 
(which was only discovered after the overseers had discarded 
the " supreme authority" of Christ to govern His kingdom, and 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 283 

they had began to lord it over God's heritage,) is now by the. 
Clergy streniously contended to be apart, an essential part of 
revelation 9 These are mysteries that can only be explained by 
the Clergy themselves ! 

But let us pursue the course of this rebellion, and we shall 
see how the ball increased in magnitude, until it filled the world 
with desolation and woe!— how the leaven of iniquity operated, 
until the whole mass was corrupted ! These overseers at lirst. 
humbly admitted that they were delegates, sent by their breth- 
ren to consult for their interest, and no doubt at the time, they 
felt themselves to be such : but that man is a total stranger to 
human nature and to history, if he knows not the never failing 
corrupting influence oi place and power. But " God knew 
what was in men,'"' and because He did know, He therefore 
reserved all authority over His church in His own hands. As 
simple representatives then, these Elders at first, met in coun- 
cil ; not to make laws — not to determine what disciples should 
or should not believe ; for this they knew the disciples had been 
accustomed to decide for themselves. They had not, as yet, 
forgotten the stern rebuke of the holy Apostles, Paul and Peter. 
The first had said in the following language of indignant rebuke: 
"Who art thou, that judgeth another man's servant? To his own 
master he shall stand or fall." Peter said: "Take the oversight 
of God? s flock, not for filthy lucre, neither as lording over God's 
heritage." Consequently, the resolutions arrived at in these 
synods, came back as simple "advice," council, or exhorta- 
tion — as measures, which, in the opinion of the assembled wis- 
dom of the representatives of the churches, were calculated to 
promote the interest of the church. These are the facts in this 
case. This was the commencement of the afterwards mighty 
councils of lordly Prelates, whose decisions, aided by the secular 
arm, made the earth tremble, and bathed her fertile fields in 
blood ! — which caused the widow's heart to bleed, and orphans 
to perish for food. Vain man ! 

Such is the history of the human race, and such every sue- 



284: TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITT. 

ceeding generation proves them to be ! No marvel, therefore, 
that Jesus said " ye must be born again," and be made " new 
creatures," before they could be pleasing to a holy and a 
righteous God ! As the most malignant plague has its incipient 
stage, so it was with the usurpations of the Clergy ; for, in 
process of time these overseers of the church, forgetful of their 
true character, as delegates of the membership, after having 
tasted the forbidden cup, their palates became vitiated, and they 
drank of it until they became intoxicated with the love of do- 
minion and power ! The Elders now threw off all disguise, 
and assumed to be the special delegates of Jesus Christ ; and 
what was previously and humbly called " advice" was now, 
in the bold language of authority, changed into "laws" with 
a binding force on the disciples ! Here was the U man of sin" 
fully developed ! " Now, he sat in the temple of God, as God, 
declaring himself to be God!" The Son of God was now 
utterly dethroned, and His name used only to countenance and 
give force to the decrees of the usurpers, like unto some dotard 
or captive king. Like such rebellious ministers against their 
lawful sovereign, who make their imbecile and imprisoned 
king issue decrees to their own liking, so this combination of 
the Clergy, having wickedly usurped the authority of their pre- 
tended master, issued decrees in His name, directly adverse to 
the best interest of His kingdom, and subversive of the liberty 
of His subjects, but advantageous to themselves ! 

The government being now wrested from Christ by daring 
usurpers, the whole aspect of affairs assumed the nature and 
character of the new dynasty. Innovation and corruption 
rolled in like a torrent, and swept away every vestage of Chris- 
tianity except the name ! This is the true origin of a "divinely 
authorized ministry." It is demonstrated to be founded in 
wicked usurpation, and to be the offspring of rebellion against 
God ! That such a claim as a "divine authority," or a special 
call from God, to expound His word to the people, was never 
thought of for the space of two hundred years after the intro- 



TEEATI3E ON CHRISTIANITY. 285 

duction of Christianity, the learned Clergy cannot be ignorant 
of. The circumstances that favored this base usurpation was 
ignorance, unavoidable ignorance on the part of the people.-— 
The Holy Scriptures were locked up in manuscript, and inac- 
cessible to the people. All their information, consequently, 
was derived through their teachers, and so they were complete- 
ly at the mercy of the Clergy ! This was a harvest time for 
those cormorants, and they failed not to profit by it to the very 
utmost. 

Having obtained an easy victory over their ignorant and con- 
riding brethren, the church was no longer the u spouse of 
Christ," and no longer " His kingdom." She had been made 
an "harlot" of, to serve the lust of an ambitious Clergy, and a 
kingdom of this world, governed by the policy of sinful men 
for their own benefit. The future hisiory of the church proves 
that the usurpers of the " kingdom of God," governed on the 
principle, that to the u victors belong the spoils;" and a terrible 
contest commenced among the conspirators themselves^ about 
who should get the largest portion ! Like the generals of 
Alexander the Great, the Clergy partitioned off the former do- 
minions of Christ among themselves, and like them, they began 
to intrude on each others portion, and a war for the supremacy 
was the result. By this time the " Roman empire" had as- 
sumed the name of " Christian," and the civil arm was enlisted 
on either side, alternately, as the Bishops contending could 
succeed in gaining the reigning Emperor's favor. The Bishops 
ol large cities claimed jurisdiction over the Bishops and people 
of the smaller cities ; but Rome and Constantinople being im- 
perial cities, and the residence of the Emperors, long contended 
for supreme dominion over all. In these ambitious contests, all 
the wicked and base principles — all the intrigue and chicanery 
— all the bribery and corruption of the basest politicians, were 
brought into requisition. Bloody and devastating wars were 
the result. Such were the satanic ambition of these men, 
called ambassadors of the "Prince of Peace," and the assumed 



$?6 TREATISE ON CHRtSTIANlf f . 

delegates of Him who came into the world to heal the woes of 
humanity ! They were the sole cause of long and bloody con- 
tests, filling the earth with the wailings of widows and orphans, 
and they themselves rioting in idleness, splendor and luxury, 
rivaling in magnificence and worldly pomp, the Emperors them- 
selves ! The contest among the Bishops was like a w r ar among 
the gods, it made the earth tremble! „ Two important events 
terminated ihis mighty contest— -the division of the Roman em- 
pire into eastern and western ; Rome being the imperial city of 
the western, and Constantinople of the eastern division. The 
Emperor of the east, sustained by his authority, the supremacy 
of the Bishop of Constantinople under the title of " Patriarch;" 
and the Emperor of the west supported the claims of the Bishop 
of Rome, and he assumed the title of u universal Bishop," and 
afterwards called " Pope." These two adverse powers are 
still in existence, and known in history as the Latin and Greek 
churches. So that the first beast, with seven heads and ten 
horns, arose out of this u sea" of strife, in the person of Boni- 
face III, Bishop of Rome, in the 6th century. Phocas, 
the Emperor and bloody tyrant, after wading in blood to su- 
preme power himself, by the murder of his predecessor, con- 
ferred on his Bishop supreme and universal dominion over the 
souls of mankind ! Thus the great dragon, satan, gave his 
power over men to the beast. Now the power of darkness 
reigned triumphant, and if now and then, a ray of light shot 
across the thick gloom, it was soon extinguished in blcod !— 
This mighty achievement was effected by the "divinely author- 
ized expounders of God's holy word," " the Clergy !" 

This is a short narration of facts ; but to speak of the deeds 
of the " Sacred Order" in detail, would fill volumes with the 
recital of crimes, wars, murder, blood, and of every base pas- 
sion known in the black catalogue of demoniac deeds ! 

Let us stop here and enquire, were all these great evils the 
natural result of the workings of the Gospel system ofsalvatio?i, 
as devised by a righteous, holy and benevolent God ? If the 



TREATISE OM CHRISTIANITY. 2&7 

Clergy, as an order of men, selected by God to expound His 
revelation, be admitted as a part of the Gospel system, then, all 
the terrible evils to mankind, caused by that order of men, were 
the natural consequences of the introduction of the Gospel. — 
This, then, is demonstrative proof that such an "order of men'' 
have no connection whatever with any plan of mercy, wisdom 
and goodness, eminating with the il Father of all Spirits^ — with 
the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, whose tender 
mercies are over all His works, and with whom there is no 
respect of men's persons, but in every nation they that fear 
Him and work righteousness, are accepted by Him." 

Let any man who possesses any degree of benevolence, 
calmly review the history of the church u of the 

■r ofClerg "ecorded on the pages of authentic bis- 

and they must conclude that the system of which the% 

md sent upon earth by his satanic 
majesty, to wreak . c-ance on God's saints! We are not 

. judges, for their own works plainly declare who they are 
and whom they serve. " It is manifest that they serve 

: Jesus CI ist." 
But as all men, acting en worldly principles, will resort I 
and every means . their own interests, so the C 

found "catching at straws," to uphold their arrogant preten- 
si >ns ; and if this plea contains the least plausibility, it is likely 
to succeed with the mass of mankind; for such is the avidity 
with which men pursue after things of this life, and such their 
natural supineness and indifference to that which cone: 
future life, that but little attention is paid to religious sub 
by most persons. From hence it is that they will not take the 
trouble to investigate such matters for themselves, and they re- 
main wedded to eld opinions, or else become the dupes of every 
hair brained fanatic or designing knave. The only qualifica- 

• necessary to insure success in such an enterprise, is arro- 
gance to assume, and persevering impudence in maintaining 
their assumptions. From this cause proceeds the many and 



288 TREATISE OK CHRISTIANITY. 

contradictory sects which distract and perplex the honest en- 
quirer, and that disgraces Christianity. Well may the infidel 
say, " agree among yourselves what Christianity is, and then 
teach us." Nothing short of this fatal appathy on the part 
of men, could have led them to submit so long after the 
diffusion of the Holy Scriptures, to the baseless pretensions of 
the Clergy — pretensions introduced in times of the grossest 
ignorance among the people — claims which are not half so well 
supported as the " divine right of kings ;" and yet such rights 
have been long since repudiated in this country, and is fast be- 
ing so in all nations where knowledge is diffused, and men are 
permitted to think for themselves, and to speak as they think ; 
and yet the pretensions of the Clergy are, by these same nations, 
overlooked! Herein is this Scripture fulfilled : "The men of 
this world are wiser in their generation than the children of 
light." As an honest man, we would much prefer the task of 
defending the " divine right of kings," than undertake the de- 
fence from the auihority of the Scriptures, the claims of the 
Clergy. Such an undertaking as the latter, would require 
such a degree of sophistry, iniquity, and dishonesty, as we 
would not chose to be guilty of ; and yet where the "divine 
right" of kings to govern has been long since exploded and 
forgotten, there the " divine right" of the Clergy to expound 
revelation, still holds its gloomy empire over men ! The cause 
lies here : men cannot be induced to take that lively and per- 
severing interest in religious truths, as they do on worldly sub- 
jects ; and when they do partially wake up to think of religion, 
some one of the numerous sects throw their net around them, 
and prevent any thing like free inquiry ; and they are told that 
it is dangerous to trust their own understandings in these mat- 
ters. Thus the arrogant and flimsy pretensions of the Clergy, 
are tamely submitted to by the people without examination, 
and this is not to be wondered at, for as sensitive as men in this 
free country are on political subjects, yet they permit themselves 
to be led and gulled by political pretenders to patriotism ! — 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 289 

These men who make their bread by politics, succeed in pur- 
suading the confiding people that all their efforts, their stump 
harrangues and blustering nonsense, are for the sole good of 
the country, and nothing else ! Now, it is notorious and well 
known, that if there were no offices to be obtained, these men 
would lose all their boasted patriotism ; and yet, to charge 
some of them with selfish motives, would, by them, be resented 
as a gross insult, and they would challenge the person so 
charging to " mortal combat," in defence of their injured hon- 
ors ! These kind of patriots are numerous in all ranks of life, 
from the highest to the lowest. Now, if men permit them- 
selves to be thus influenced and mislead by knavish politicians, 
on matters to which they are all alive, and on things that only 
require a little reflection and common sense observation, to dis- 
cover the deception, is it to be wondered at, if, on religious 
matters, which men are so prone to neglect, and which they 
have been taught from their youth, must be learned from the 
Clergy, they should not suspect the deception? So long as 
men do not suspect any imposition, the) will make no inquiries. 
Thus men fall in with the current of popular opinion, and glide 
smoothly down the stream of life, without being at the trouble 
to examine whether or not all they embrace be true or false, or 
without taking the least pains to discriminate between what of 
it is true, or what false; or whether any corruptions may not 
have crept in, and the system be a mixture of truth and error. 
Notwithstanding this supineness on the part of the people, yet 
no fact is better established in the history of man, than that no 
form of government, and no system of morals or of religion, 
can long remain in the hands of men without suffering in their 
purity ; and the more especially so, if there be offices of honor 
and emolument attached to them. Men will be attracted by 
the " loaves and fishes." The Son of God was not ignorant 
of this, hence He designed no such corrupting principle to be 
appended to the Gospel. He said to the seventy disciples 
whom He sent before him to proclaim His approach : " Freely 



290 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY, 



ye have received, freely give." The Apostles also, knew it ; 
therefore, they, in order to set an example to others, ''labored, 
working with their own hands, and refused to be chargeable to 
any man, that the Gospel be not blamed." And who is there, 
with one grain of reflection, that does not know the corrupting 
influence of money and power ? Now such a loose way of em- 
bracing the opinions of others, is opposed to the advice of all 
the sages of ancient and modern times, and to the observation 
and experience of all observing men every where. It is a 
truism, that perpetual and unsleeping vigilence is the price at 
which liberty can be maintained. Christ said that He sowed 
nothing but good seed in the world, but, "whilst men slept, an 
enemy sowed tares ;" so that, on the authority of the Son of 
God, men should be extremely vigilent to guard against the 
impositions of men in matters of religious belief. The effect 
of not doing so, is, that error is perpetuated from generation to 
.generation, and accumulates as it progresses. Thus it has 
been with Christianity. The temporal interests of a large 
body of Clergy being intimately connected with the various 
church organizations, they will never discover any defect that 
will lessen their own interest, and the people (such as pay any 
attention to religion at all,) are so entirely led by them, that 
they are not likely to doubt what the Clergy propose ; or. 
if some do doubt, they dislike the odium or the trouble of 
opposing. 

If, after the lapse of time, things become so insufferably cor- 
rupt as to be no longer endurable, and the people demand a 
change in the stern language of compulsion, and those of the 
old order of things who were in the habit of ruling, seeing a 
change inevitable, will prudently unite wiih the reform party; 
but they will manage so as to give a direction to (he new order 
of things, as bring themselves uppermost; and these great 
friends of the people, whether "patriots" or Clergymen, will 
form new combinations under different forms, but which will 
retain the indispensible trait of serving their own interest. — 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 291 

This truth was fully illustrated in the " Reformation." Th« 
Clergy had become so universally and so desperately abandoned 
to all manner of open vice and gross wickedness, that there was 
a general clamor for reformation among kings, princes and 
people. The reformation headed by Frederick, the Wise, 
elector of Saxony, was the consequence. But what was ac- 
complished ? Why, the very same principle or groundwork 
from which grew all the corruptions and all the tyranny of the 
old order of things, was retained in full vigor in ihe new order, 
viz : The " divine right of the Clergy to expound God's word." 
They did not speak the open blasphemy of the first beast — that 
is, they did not claim to be the absolute and infallible dictators 
in the church of God, but they then did, and now do claim to 
be individually chosen by God to expound his revelation, and 
that none but the il order" are authorized by Heaven to ad- 
minister the ordinances of His house; and that they (the 
Clergy) are a component part of His plan of salvation! Thi< 
" second beast arose out of the earth" a stable element, repre- 
senting the long settled clerical power of the Roman hierarchy. 
(< This beast had horns like a lamb;" apparently harmless, but it 
u did all the works of the first beast." This the Protestant 
Clergy have never scrupled to do when they could influence the 
civil authorities to aid them. "The number of the second beast 
is the number of a man;" hence, we find that every sect is desig- 
natad by the name of its founder, or are founded on the opinions 
of some man, and his opinions are taught as the true sense of 
revelation. T.-ds man is the Pcpe of the sect of which he i = 
the originator ; hence, the number, or the different aspects under 
which the second beast exerts his power, is that of a man; and 
in process of time, these sects will have multiplied to su< 
extent as to envelope the professing world in tl 
so that none can " buy or sell" — that is, it will be difficult for 
any other than those who have the " mark" cf seme cne of the 
tects, and associate under some one of the " numbers" of the 
" beast," to follow any business successfully. All ethers will 



292 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

be branded by these sectarians as heretics and infidels, and 
treated as such. All opposers of the Clergy and their organ- 
ized authorities, will be deemed by them and by their ad- 
herents, as enemies to God ! In this way, if not by aid of the 
"civil arm," thousands will be compelled to worship the "image 
of the beast!" Let any person contemplate the present con- 
dition of the protessing world, and they must see that things 
are rapidly progressing to that state of vassalage ! The person 
now, who attempts to re-establish the supreme authority of the 
Lord Jesus Christ over " His kingdom," and over men's con- 
sciences, are stigmatized by the Clergy and their followers, 
with the most opprobrious epethets, and, like Cain, they have 
a mark set on them, that every sectarian who sees them, may- 
slay them morally, if not physically ! Their characters are 
blasted as far as their influence extends ! 

The Clergy have only laid aside the more gross vices of the 
dark ages of ignorance, and assumed a more respectable exterior 
deportment; but in this respect they only conform to \he fashion 
of a more enlightened and refined age, for it is well known that 
the most astounding frauds, peculations and deceptions, are 
perpetrated by men who stand at the very top of society in this 
refined age, under the exterior appearance of gentlemen ! — 
The "fashion of the world" has changed, and not the nature 
of me?i, for they are always the same in every age and country. 
" The fashion of the world" being changed, contrary to the 
wishes of both the Clergy and satan, and against all their united 
efforts to prevent it, they have cunningly changed with if. — 
This change was mainly accomplished through the discovery of 
printing. It is well known that the Clergy exerted all their 
influence to smother that discovery, and this they did by stig- 
matizing it as necromancy, aided by the devil. Forgetting that 
a " kingdom divided against itself cannot stand !" Ignorance 
is the main pillar of all kinds of usurpation and tyranny. — 
Satan's empire is called the " kingdom of darkness," and t© 
this the reign of the Son of God is directly antagonistical, and 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY, 293 

isHdenommated the "kingdom of light; 5 ' hence Jesus said, "I 
am the light of the world ;" and, " he that doeth righteousness 
eometh to the light, that his deeds may be manifest and re- 
proved;" but the evil doers love darkness, and invariably shun 
the light of truth, and this is because they do not wish their de- 
ceptions known! No man who is disinterested and conscious of 
the uprightness and the integrity of his heart and of his conduct, 
fears exposure — yea, he desires it. " Wisdom is justified by 
her children," " and the righteous are as bold as a lion, but 
the wicked fleeth when no man pursueth." What could hare 
caused the Clergy to dread the diffusion of knowledge but the 
fear of exposure? They were conscious that their claims were 
not tenable; and that an increase of information among the 
people whom they enslaved, would sooner or later discover 
their tyrannical impositions! They well knew that printing was 
no witchcraft, and that satan had nothing to do with it ! They 
were wise enough to foresee the consequences, and they were 
made to feel it tooo The printing press was the visible cause 
of the reformation. It is no credit to the " Sacred Order" 
that the interest of satan's empire and their domination, should 
be so nearly allied, as that which promotes the one should also 
promote the other, as ignorance evidently does favor both ; bufc 
so it is ! 

This change, therefore, being unavoidable on the part of satan 
and of the Clergy, it now became satan, as a skillful tactician, 
also to change his mode of attack on the kingdom and church of 
Christ, to correspond with the new order of 'things, and this he did 
like a consumate general ; for, instead of destroying his fortress 
he only masked it, and continued his power under a disguise. 
We therefore see the same " order" perpetuated in the " Re- 
formed church," so called, through which he effected his con- 
quests under the old order of things. " The second beast," 
therefore,had two "horns," or instruments of power for evil, and 
they were like the "horns of a lamb !" In appearance he was 
harmless, but he nevertheless done all the works of the " first 



294 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY 

beast !" One of these horns was the claim of a "divine right 

to expound God's tvord, and to administer the ordinances of 
His kingdom ;" but this was disguised by the declaration ; 
; ' The Scriptures are the only and the sufficient rule of faith and 
practice. 5 - Now this is its lamb-like appearance, and this 
declaration, in theory, restores the sovereignty of Christ over 
His church, of which the first beast, or Papal Clergy, had de- 
prived Him by usurpation ! But the practical claim of a " di- 
vine right to expound God's word, end to administer the ordi- 
nances of His church,'' completely nullified this theoretical 
; - declaration! 5 ' The "declaration" gave a deadly wound to 
the first beast, and would finally have proved mortal, but the 
"claim' 3 set up by the Protestant Clergy to a i! divine right to 
expound' 5 that which they had declared all-sufficient of itself, 
completely healed the deadly wound of the first beast: and the 
two were so much alike that the second is called the image of 
the first ! Any man of common understanding, if he will divest 
himself of sectarian influence, must see that the " claim" and 
the " declaration 5 '' are hostile powers ! The " declaration"" re- 
s-tores the sovereignty over the church int< the Lands of Christy 
whilst the "claim 55 virtually constitutes the " divinely author- 
ized expounders" for all 'practical purposes, supreme; so that 
the authority of the first beast is retained by the secord cne ; - 
only under a new and more plausible mc ton, and it en- 

ables the second to do all the works of the first when permitted, 
and thai too, under this very plausible plea, viz : The glory oi 
God and the interest of His church. They are the exponents 
of His will I It is absolutely impossible for the supremacy of 
the "Son of God," speaking through the '-Holy Scriptures," to 
His church and people, and the " order of Clergy" "divinely 
authorized to expound" those Scriptures, to exist together! — 
The thing carries an absurdity on its very face ! 

The revolting crimes committed by the Papal Clergy unde/ 
the plausible pretext of the good of the church, and for the 
glory of God, during their long: and demoniac reign, are well 



Treatise on Christianity. 295 

authenticated and incontrovertable facts ; and, moreover, these 
horrible crimes of blood were not the acts of a lew desperate 
men, but they flowed from the settled policy of the " order of 
clergy;" and that settled principle was, to maintain as the truth 
of God, their expositions of the Scriptures. As the chosen ser- 
vants and ambassadors of God they were bound in conscience 
to preserve the unity of the faith as they determined that faith 
to be ! 



FACTS DEMONSTRATING THAT THE PROTES- 
TANT CLERGY OCCUPY THE SAME GROUND ON 
WHICH WAS BASED THE PAPAL USURPATION, 
AND WHICH, WHEN CIRCUMSTANCES ADMIT, 
PRODUCES ALL THEIR WORKS. 



Our Protestant Clergy will say, cc we are not such men as 
composed the Papal hierarchy." You say wrong, for you are 
precisely such men. True, you are not as yet, such characters; 
but you are men composed of the same material and of like 
passions with them. Opportunity and circumstances make 
characters. You are not placed in circumstances so favorable 
for the development of your natural propensities as men, and a 
favorable opportunity for the commission of like deeds are cut 
off; but it still remains a fact, that the same causes, operating 
under the same circumstances, will produce the same effects ; and 
it is still an infallible truth, that the "march of power is ever 
onward, and its tendency is always to accumulate." You will 



296 TREATISE OK CHRISTIANITY. 

never see men, who are in the possession of power, endeavor- 
ing to lessen it, if that power procures them honor and emolu- 
ment; such an instance of magnanimity and disinterestedness, 
would be a phenomena in the history of men ! But they will 
ever be found exerting all the means within their grasp, and 
taking advantage of every favorable circumstance to increase it. 
It will be recollected that the Jewish Clergy were charged with 
the murder of the Prophets that were sent by God to reprove 
them, but they repelled the charge with holy indignation, and 
said : cC If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would 
not have done so!" But the Omniscient Son of God, who per- 
fectly knew the depravity and deceitfulness of the heart, if 
not controlled by the power of God, told them that they said 
falsely, and that they, themselves, would do the same things 
when it was in their power to do them ; for said Christ, "ye 
garnish the sepulchers of them that did it" — that is, you honor 
the very persons in your memory and by your acts, that perpe- 
trated the crimes. This is precisely the case with the Clergy 
and their supporters. The Clergy honor the same order of men, 
by assuming and perpetuating the same claims, yet they say 
that they would not be guilty of the same deeds ! They cer- 
tainly have assumed the position of the men that did, and this 
is a long step in the same path ; but the facilities of marching 
forward are cut off; but they are a continuation of the same 
genus — -the same class of men, and claiming nearly, if not quite 
the same prerogatives, for they certainly claim to derive their 
power from the very same fountain— from God himself, and that 
too, independent of all men ; so that no earthly power can de- 
prive them of their authority without rebelling against God ! — 
No Protestant Clergyman will deny that they claim to be com- 
missioned, chosen, and sent by the Great Eternal. This is 
their boast. On this, Protestant Clergymen predicate all their 
authority. And on the very same authority and the very same 
claim, was the whole fabric of Clerical dominion established, 
and under the shadow of its pestilential wings, Christianity and 



TREATISE OK CHRISTIANITY. 297 

human liberty expired ! The Protestant Clergy therefore, oc- 
cupy the same ground with their brethren of the Papal hierarchy; 
and, if circumstances favored, and opportunity offered, we have 
every reason to believe that the same characters would be de- 
veloped, and the same deeds acted over again as were under 
their former triumphant reign. Do not the Roman Clergy, as 
far as they can, disavow the deeds of their predecessors? Do 
they not say that they would not be guilty of such deeds of 
blood : Would they not blot such acts out of the page of 
history if they could .' But the Roman Clergy do not now do 
the same things : no, they do not. "Why not ? Is it because 
they are not the same class of men ? Have they renounced the 
claims of their predecessors ? Do they not garnish their 
sepulchers ? They do all this, but they do not persecute unto 
death ! And wherefore ? We will answer in the language of 
revelation : < ; The beast is chained,*' " and the earth helps the 
woman" — in plain language, the civil arm at law interposes 
between the persecuting power and its victim, and they dare 
not But we are fully authorized in saying, that whenever and 
wherever this hindering cause has not interposed a barrier, there 
has never been wanting on the part of that order of men, whether 
Pagan, Mohammedan, Jew, Papal or Protestant, a disposition. 
Was there no persecution in Protestant England, even unto 
death : Was there no torture, imprisonment, and no fires kin- 
dled there by Protestant Clergy ? Who declared that the ma- 
gistrate was bound to punish all whom the dominent Clergy 
branded as heretics? Who caused Servetius to be burned at 
Geneva, in Switzerland? Was it not the learned Rev. John 
Calvin : Who burned the peaceable and harmless Quakers in 
New England ? Were they not Protestant Clergy that done all 
these things : Who had two thousand dissenting preachers 
imprisoned at one time in England, for not conforming to the 
creed established by law, whilst their families were suffering for 
bread ? Was not this done by Protestant Clergy ? Why then, 
ire not such things done now by the same Clergy ? For the 



£98 TREATISE OK CttRISTIANIflr. 

very same reason that their brethren of the same " order" and 
the same pretensions, do not — they dare not ! To assign any 
ether reason would be to deny all history, and to say that the 
Clergy are not men of like emotions with their predecessors, or 
were restrained by a supernatural power ; for of this kind of 
restraining influence we discover no evidence in their spirit and 
conduct, as exhibited on all occasions when their prerogative or 
their interests are touched or likely to suffer— not the least proof 
of it; but we have sufficient proof that they are as other men. 
They hold fast to all they have of authority with the utmost 
tenacity, and eagerly grasp after all they can get — and all for 
the glory of God and the interests of His cause ! ! What else 
to be sure? What other motive could have induced them to 
commit so many deeds, and so revolting to the best feelings of 
our nature? " Humanity must yield to grace" — this is their 
logic — are we God's chosen friends, selected for the very 
purpose of watching, defending and securing His church from 
error? And must we slumber at our post? Are we not the 
only divinely authorized expounders of His revelation ? What 
then is our authority worth, what benefit to the world or to the 
church, if we do not exert it in the service of God ? Heresy 
must be rooted out of the church, and out of the world, and we 
are the constituted judges of heresy; and all means that God 
in his providence has placed within our reach, must be used for 
this laudible purpose. "Awake, O sword, and smite God's 
enemies." Thus they would quote Scripture to prove that the 
civil povvers should interpose to aid their efforts. This is all, 
apparently, very plausible reasoning on worldly principles ; but 
it is opposed to every principle of Christianity — to all the 
teachings of Christ and His Apostles. Jesus said: "God is a 
spirit, and they that worship Him, must worship Him in spirit 
and in truth." Nothing forced, no constraint, no coersion, but 
the sincere and voluntary effusions of the heart ; nothing beside 
this is acceptable to God, and this worship must be in manner 
jHicL.fcwdj as tne worshipper's judgment, enlightened by his 



TREATISE OK CHEISTIANitt. 299 

awn understanding of God's word, may direct him, as that 
tlone can make a man a disciple indeed of Christ. 

But contemplating the characters of the great body of those, 
as depicted on the pages of history, who have claimed to he 
God's selected and chosen friends, to guard the interests of His 
church, and to be an example to His people, and then contem- 
plate the character of God as revealed by the teachings and the 
practical life of His Son, Jesus Christ, who exemplified His 
teachings by His life, and then pronounce judgment. Are 
their pretensions founded in truth ? Xo man, suiely, that is in 
a sane state of mind, will dare pronounce in their favor ! Such 
decision is beyond possibility ! To do so, he must pronounce 
God as lacking the prudence and the discernment of the most 
ordinary mm, or as utterly regardless of all moral principle^ 
and then he would be a demon ! It must be recollected that 
each and every one of them, individually, claim to be selected 
and qualified by God himself, to expound His word and to 
manage the interests of His kingdom on earth ! We honor 
God by pronouncing, as we emphatically do, the claim false 
and usurped. 

But notwithstanding the self-evidence of its falsehood, yet, 
as mankind are unwilling to be convinced of the fallacy of that 
which has been venerated as most true, and as being a part of 
the Gospel itself for ages past, and which many of the wisest 
and the best men in the world have unhesitatingly believed to 
be true, and which they themselves have been taught to be the 
truth of God, and of which they never entertained a doubt. — 
Because of this inveterate prejudice in favor of the Clergy, we 
will investigate this matter a little further. To present the 
claims of the Protestant Clergy in their true light, and without 
any exaggeration, we will give them in their own words, pre- 
meditatedly announced, so that there can be no mistake. 

That we may give no unnecessary offence, we will say that 
we consider the examples given, equal in all respects to any 
ethers, and to be composed of as good men ; neither do we 



300 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

speak of them as men and citizens, but as an " order" of men, 
assuming a position subversive alike of civil and religious 
liberty, and the purity and integrity of Christianity. For the 
present purpose let two examples suffice, and these two are sup- 
posed by the people to claim less than some others. 

The Mercersburg Review, of September, 1849, pages 137 
and 138, edited by the Rev. Mr. Nevin, D. D., and President 
of Marshall College, contains the following astounding lan- 
guage in reference to the Clergy: 

" As among the Jews, 50 still there are Levites, who stand 
between the altar and the worshippers. The office of the Min- 
istry is a Ministry not in name only but in fact. The Minister 
is the mouth of God to man, and the mouth of man to God. — 
The office which he holds is the investiture of Ministerial grace 
and authority. He does not act from men, nor by men, but by 
Jesus Christ for men. No man can take this office to himself. 
The people cannot invest him with the power of a Minister who 
is to serve them in the office. The gift must be received as 
Timothy received it, by the laying on of hands from those who 
had it before. When he stands properly commissioned in his 
place, the minister can say, 'I was not called to this place by 
the vote of members, but by the ordination of ministers. My 
office came to me not through the members, but through the 
body.'' (Mark well this distinction. The Clergy are the body 
which sustains, nourishes, and controls ; members are mere in- 
struments of convenience !) l I come from God to men* — 
(mark what follows) — Paul, an Apostle, not of men, neither 
by men, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised 
him from the dead. (Here he claims for the Clergy the Apos- 
tolic office and authority, and all he says confirms it!) Those 
who have the office in this way, may well, with Paul, magnify 
it, — (that is, use all their Apostolic authority — for the glory of 
God to be sure ; what else ?) They are to be honored, and 
doubly honored, if they exercise authority in the church well, 
and are to be esteemed very highly for their work's sake. — 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 301 

(Martyrs of the 10th century, what are their works? By 
honor and double honor, in the passage referred to by the Rev. 
gentleman, the Clergy interpret, pay or salary — see their 
comments.) They are God's representatives. By them He 
makes covenants with the people ; by them He blesses and 
curses, binds and looses, pardons and remits; — (shades of 
spiritual tyrants, will God permit thee a second reign ?) in 
their hands are the keys of the kingdom ; at their lips men are 
to receive the laws; and at their hands the sacrement; (Protes- 
tants deliver up to the Clergy all your bibles.) Their respon- 
sibilities are heavy ; their accountability awful, and their duties 
arduous, (and yet boys can assume and glory in them!) — 
God, however, is their protector, as they are His ambassa- 
dors. Their persons are precious in His eyes — c touch not my 
annointed, and do my Prophets no harm.' While the heralds 
of Jesus stand up before the face of a gainsaying world, and lift 
up their hands over the people, whether to reprove or to bless, 
the hand of Jesus hangs over them a banuer, on which is written 
the fearful declaration, 'he that dispiseth you, dispiseth me, 
and he that dispiseth me, dispiseth Him that sent me.' " Let 
all men read and heed at their peril. Fair warning. 

It will be borne in mind that this is the claim set up by a 
Clergyman of the " German Re r ormed" church ! Any argu- 
ment to prove its fallacy to a Protestant community, would be 
as useless as the assumption is rediculous. It has blasphemy 
written on its forehead ! There is no attempt at concealment. 
The Rev. gentleman has imprudently raised the curtain, and 
given us a peep at what is transacting behind the scenes. 

What more did — yea, what more could the first beast have 
said, when he " spake great swelling words and blasphemies?'' 1 
Verily, it would be impossible for any being to assume more 
than this German Reformed Clergyman has, short of hurling 
Jehovah from His throne and occupying His place ! The Rev. 
Dr. Nevin, the editor of the review from which this extract is 
taken, gives it circulation without one word of comment for or 



302 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

against ! To us it seems to be what politicians call a feeler, 
« trial of what the people will bear. We are authorized to say 
that the sentiments contained in the extract, are in perfect har- 
mony with Dr. Nevin's own avowed notions of Clerical preroga- 
tives. A monkey is a dangerous animal if let loose in a china 
shop, and if people will have such creatures, they had better 
keep a strict eye over them, or perchance whilst they are 
amusing themselves by their antics, more mischief might be 
done than could be easily remedied. 

Our second example shall be selected from the Meihodist E. 
Church, presuming that they as a more recent sect, and ol very 
humble origin, do not pretend to more than other sects that 
are older, and claim a more distinguised origin. Her claims 
are officially announced. These examples will illustrate also 
what we have said in reference to the tenacity with which all 
men retain power, when once in possession of it; and, also the 
length to which they will go rather than yield the least part of 
it. It must be remembered that in the Methodist E. Church, 
all powers, whelher legislative, judicial and executive, are 
claimed and exercised by the Preachers ! It was conceeded by 
all her members, that their Clergy as well as all others, were 
called of God to expound the Scriptures ; this none doubted, 
but doubts arose in the minds of many, whether the Preachers 
had the same " divine right" to the absolute government of the 
affairs of the church, without control in any shape ! The num- 
ber of such as entertained these doubts were numerous, very 
respectable in standing, and extend over the United States. — 
They therefore made a common cause of it, and united in peti- 
tioning the General Conference, (that being the legislative de- 
partment of that church, and assembles every four years. It is 
composed exclusively of delegates from the annual conferences 
of Preachers. ) This General Conference met in 1828, in Pitts- 
burgh, Pa., and to that body numerous petitions were sent from 
all parts of the Union, humbly and respectfully begging for a 
participation in making laws that were to control them anJ 



T&EATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 303 

their posterity after them, as members of the Methodist E, 
Church. Having- freely aided in building churches and par- 
sonages, and liberally supporting the Preachers, they humbly 
conceived that they had some right over their own persons 
and property, as men and as Methodists, other than being mere 
instruments and tools for the Preachers to work out their own 
purposes and interest with. These "Rev. gentlemen," after de- 
liberately surveying the whole ground — the consequences of 
yielding or maintaining their assumptions of power — the man- 
ner of resistance on the part of the petitioners, and of their own 
defence. Considering the destitute condition of those who 
complained, they being entirely at the mercy of the Preachers, 
as they could expel them when they pleased, or they might by 
various modes of annoyance, induce them to withdraw, and thus 
prevent the odium of forcibly expelling them. And seeing 
that in either case they must go out naked, as all the churches 
and parsonages, and their one or two millions of book and 
other property, were under their own control, and relying on 
the prejudices of the great mass of their people in favor of their 
claims, and which they well knew the mass of them would not 
take the trouble to investigate. Under all the circumstances, 
they concluded not to yield one jot of their assumed preroga- 
tive! They replied to the petitioners in these words : "We 
being the divinely authorized expounders of God's holy word, 
and administrators of the moral discipline of His church, are 
therefore, in conscience bound not to permit our administration 
to be authoratatively controlled!" This Popish claim of " di- 
vine right" to govern and control the tonsciences of men, is 
here plainly and boldly olaimed by Protestant Clergy, in the 
year of grace 18 2 Q , and in democratic America! But what is 
equally astonishing, these arrogant assumptions were, and now 
are, tamely submitted to ! Some of the petitioners submitted, 
rather than break up old associations, and beat the trouble and 
inconveniences of forming a church establishment and incur the 
expense of building other houses of worship and other parson- 



304 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

ages, and maintaining a separate tribe of Preachers; for it never 
entered into their thoughts that Christianity could exist without 
" divinely authorized expounders!'' so inveterate are the pre- 
judices of education and the proneness of mankind blindly to 
follow their leaders, and the more especially in matters of Reli- 
gion. Most men are afraid to examine the Scriptures for them- 
selves, as they have been taught from their youth, that God 
must and does send men to expound them, and to them they 
look for instruction ! But some were daring enough to con- 
tinue their complaints against the u divine right" of the Clergy 
to dominion in all things. These were arraigned, tried for con- 
tumacy, and as disturbers of the quiet of the church ! Their 
judges were selected by the Preachers, men against whom the 
offence for which they were to be tried, was charged to have 
been committed ! This is Eclesiastical or Clerical justice. — 
Certainly it is not justice in civil law ! But as the Clergy are 
acting in the behalf of God — they being His special envoys — 
the offence is, therefore, committed against God in their sacred 
persons ! The Clergy, as men, are of course entirely disinter- 
ested in the matter! They are only vindicating the honor of 
God ! But be that as it may, the facts are as stated. They 
were arraigned, and the judges were such as mentioned; and 
the charge against them was not murder, or adultery, or drun- 
kenness; nor yet swearing, lying or fraud, or any immorality 
whatever; but the grave charge of "speaking evil of God's 
Ministers !" For this they were driven from the church, and 
all their early associations severed, and they deprived, so far 
as they could deprive them, of the means of grace and salva- 
tion, as instituted (as they do say) by God ! Others seeing 
the sword coming, escaped by withdrawing. But did the 
wrath of the Clergy stop here ? No, verily ; the Clergy sent a 
great flood of odium afterthem, hoping thereby to drown their 
reputation forever as Christians. They were stigmatized in 
their pulpits, and in their prints, and in private circles, and in 
social parties, as backsliders, as restless spirits, and ae m§a 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 305 

%'oid of all religion, and enemies to God ! These are sober 
truths, and can be testified to as such by thousands now living, 
who were eye and ear witnesses of these things. This was the 
utmost that their offended Reverences could possibly accom- 
plish under the circumstances of the times; but what they would 
have done if they could have called in the aid of the civil power. 
(which power, John Calvin said should interpose in similar 
cases,) we well know. The records of history will tell us what 
would have been the consequences under such favorable circum- 
stances, and the vindictive spirit with which they pursued their 
opposers, is a sure index of what the Clergy would gladly have 
done! The doctrine taught is, that all feelings of humanity must 
yield to religious duty: and in this and the like cases, it was a re- 
ligious duty to maintain the authority delegated to them by God, 
for they say that they were in conscience bound not to permit their 
administration to be controlled; consequently, all humane feel- 
ings opposing this religious duty, must be smothered ; and 
every possible and all available means used to compel submis- 
sion ! This is the true state of the matter, and the true Popish 
doctrine illustrated. Now it is well known, that enthusiasm 
and zeal in the cause of religion, whether true or false, is of 
all others, the most intense, and will carry men to greater 
lengths than on any other subject; but unite this zeal and enthu- 
siasm with personal or party interest, as they are united 
in the case of the Clergy, and when thus the two powers are 
united in one, what can hold it in check short o( the strong 
arm of civil law? Withhold that hinderance and we would 
not give a feather for any man's-liberty or life, who would dare 
to oppose the authority assumed by the Clergy ! For how- 
ever erroneous their claims or their expositions of Scrip- 
ture might be, still it will never fail to lean to their interest, 
and never against it. The more zealous they are in propoga- 
ting them, the more dangerous they would be. They would 
feel bound in conscience to silence all opposition, and to com- 
pel to submission ! Everything that they pronounced heresy 

T 



306 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 



or false doctrine, must be put down, and the propogators must 
be silenced or recant ; and if stubborn, punished even to death; 
u for it is better for a few to die, than that the minds of thousands 
should be poisoned by false doctrine." Thus it is seen, that 
the claims of the Clergy necessarily lead to persecution. It 
necessarily leads them to occupy the dangerous position of dic- 
tators to conscience ! — to determine what is the true meaning 
of the word of God, and what is not — what men should believe, 
and what they should not. All observing persons know well, 
that conduct similar to this used for our illustration, is con- 
stantly being resorted to in all parts of the professing world, 
both Protestant and Papal ; and by both on the very same prin- 
ciple, and that is, to preserve unity of faith ! But of what 
faith? Faith in the teachings of Christ? O no! but in the 
Pope, or in the expositions of the founder of the many and con- 
tradictory secis ! Will this be disputed by any man of truth ? 
Constantly recuring facts attest its entire truthfulness beyond 
all dispute. 

Such claim as that set up by Methodist Preachers, in the 
words quoted trom their reply to the petition of their followers, 
(and the same principle is carried out by other sects,) only- 
wants the civil power to sustain it, and the scenes of Papal 
Rome, in her palmy days, would be acted over again. 

But if any doubts should still linger about our Protestant 
minds, as to the extent of their claims as an order, it must be 
removed, however unwillingly, when we present to them other 
facts and illustrations. These are contained in a book on 
Methodist Episcopacy, written by Rev. Nathan Bangs, " D. 
D.," of New York. He was a member of the General Con- 
ference of 1828. The book was written since "that, and was 
intended to defend and sustain the declarations there made ; 
and the language that we shall quote, was pointed directly at 
th.3 memoralist. These are his words : " Those Ministers 
whom God has selected to be shepherds over His flock, and 
guardians of His people^ possess the right of government over 



TB-IATIScI ON CHRISTIANITY. 307 

themselves and all those committed to their care ; in religious 
aatters. Called of God as this M is — like the 

re Evangiiists, they wen: in His name, and were made 
5 ic :e5:i I in raising a ; a pet .?.".-: were no people, to be- 
came tkc people :: 3od, after having fAe .::'• 
:ir missirn. is awake:.::: c ?_-_ : inverting seals. — 
As long as these officefs move in : ience to God's will, ad 

... be always. £ . ! : . ; . .- . .:._;. : ; ::: 

their an: sters of church go ment 

- Ts:se restless spirits prompted b ride 
aceit ot their own abilities , (not being re J Eetho- 

E saehers, rebel against the order that God has estab- 
iedj Methodism :: Clerical rale) rebel against Gsl. au 
receive their punishc: : 
authority : : . . :: the : .. . " Th 

order (Mc supremacy of the Clergy 3 that God . 

established for the peace an I 

the delibsra . ion of a Protest: 

: . : " .- It is in all respects 

church, from the da 
>niface 1 : — 

sub- 
to their . ... 
is to rebel agains: 

f one P. but of a 

aerons and influential body ::n- 

. 

. . ... 

it church. — 
. . ■ 

ofmorai e in conscience l 

ration to be control'c 



308 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

And what is the legitimate consequence of the admission of 
this claim? Passive obedience! And so the Methodist Clergy 
understand it, for they boldly affirm that " all are bound to sub- 
mit to their dictation, and they that rebel against their authori- 
ty, rebel against God." The Pope says the very same thing, 
indeed he cannot possibly say more. And why do not the 
Papists at the present, invoke the civil power to carry out the 
decisions of their Eclesiastical courts? For the very same 
reason that the Protestant Clergy do not — they could not obtain 
it. The Clergy of both parties, growl and snarl, and show 
their teeth ; but fortunately their bite is not now unto death. — 
The Papal Clergy acted agreeable to the power claimed by 
them when they could ; and so did the Protestant Clergy. On 
these claims and pretensions of the Clergy, were based all the 
horrible, devastating and bloody persecutions of Papal triumph 
Tt was this that kindled the flames that consumed martyrs, and 
the witnesses of Jesus ! 

But Nathan Bangs, Doctor of Divinity, says, " the divinity 
of our mission is demonstrated by the conversion of souls!" — * 
Indeed ! That is a new way of demonstrating the divinity of 
any thing ; but it is a very convenient way of doing it we con- 
fess. Christ and His Apostles predicated the divinity of their 
mission, as we have elsewhere said, on a very different founda- 
tion, and that was miracles. " If I do not the works that no 
man ever did, then believe me not." " God bear the Apostles 
witness by signs and wonders, diverse miracles and gifts of 
the Holy Ghost." 

The following evidences are indispensible to demonstrate 
the divinity of any mission : 1st — Miracles ; 2d — Purity of life; 
3d — Unity of teaching ; 4th — Personal disinterestedness. All 
these were exhibited by Moses, John, Christ, the Apostles and 
the Prophets ; and these are the only teachers of mankind that 
were ever selected or sent by God, and their " Reverences" 
must excuse us if we refuse to believe the divinity of their mis- 
sion on less evidence than was deemed necessary and reasona- 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 309 

fele by God, to render the mission of His real servants worthy 
of credit. All other evidence is fillacious, unsafe, and even 
dangerous. Even the three last named proofs may meet in 
one man, and yet be deceptious. He may be a holy, disin- 
terested man, and yet be himself deceived and teach errors ; 
and, consequently, all who follow his instructions will embrace 
falsehood also. If success was, as Mr. Bangs says, a demon- 
strative proof of the divinity of a man's mission, then were the 
Arians divinely authorized expounders of God's word ; for the 
doctrines of Arius and his Preachers spread rapidly in the 4th 
century, and under the Emperor Constantius, became the pre- 
vailing faith of the Roman empire. The Pope himself pro- 
fessed it ; and it was only checked by force of arms ! Also, 
Manes, the author of the sect called Manicheans, was very suc- 
cessful. He explained Christianity by the doctrines of the 
Persian Magi ! They became a very numerous sect. And yet 
another sect, called after their founder, " Donatist," made very 
rapid progress. In a council held in the 5th century, they num- 
bered in that council alone seven hundred and seventy- nine 
Bishops. And many sects continued to rise, spread and 
flourish, until the Bishop of Rome obtained universal power, 
and then the Popes, aided by the Emperors, forcibly put down 
all opposition. Then Popery greatly flourished, and spread 
over the world ! Were all these " divinely authorized expoun- 
ders of God's word?" They believed themselves to be so, as 
much as do our modern Clergy; and they could present the 
same " demonstrative proof" as they do ! And who will say 
that there were not as many hoi} and disinterested men among 
their Clergy as are to be found at this day and among the ex- 
isting sects ? But to come nearer home. Have not sects 
arisen in our own times, that have advanced rapidly? There 
is Joe Smith, who interprets the word of God by his book of 
Mormon ! He is of yesterday, and can number his tens of 
thousands in Europe and America ! There is also Miller, with 
his second advent theory. His faith spread like fire in dry 



31(5 TREATISE ON CHRlStllNlff. 

stubble ! Were Smith and Mille? " divinely authorized ex- 
pounders of God's word ?" The first, we feel sure 7 was as 
imposter j but Miller we think was a good, well meaning man, 
Hut none of all we have named, could produce &( signs infalli- 
ble" — miracles. Therefore, they were not divinely authorized 
expounders of God's word, and those who have permitted 
themselves to be deluded, are guilty before God. Now, these 
have all as much reason to claim divine authority and interposi- 
tions, as our orthodox Clergy. But do all or even the one hun° 
dreth part of the Clergy, who claim a " divine commission," 
afford us so much as the minor evidences ? Are they pure and 
holy in life? Do they give proofs of personal disinterested- 
ness ? Do they all teach the very same doctrines ? They do 
not, ll is evident then, that success in making converts to 
sectarianism, is no evidence of the divinity of their mission.— 
Voltaire converted a whole nation from Popery to Infidelity and 
Atheism ! Was he " divinely authorized,'-' therefore ? Many 
also are converted from Protestantism to Popery. Are those 
who are " instrumental" in doing it, M divinely authorized ?" 
Or does every hair-brained fanatic who succeeds by great 
apparent sincerity and zeal in deceiving the unthinking, " de- 
monstrate thereby the divinity of their mission?" The absur- 
dities to which this boasted test of the Clergy to a " divine 
mission" leads, are sufficient proofs of its utter fallacy, and 
dangerous results* Oh ! what a day that will be ? when " God 
shall judge the world in righteousness." Then the imposi- 
tions practiced on the credulity of the indolent and confiding 
people, ivill be unmasked ; and every man will appear in his 
true character, and shall receive according to his works of 
deception. 

But what are the Clergy divinely authorized to do ? Why, 
say they, to expound God's word to the people \ — that is, to 
explain, to interpret. Now this supposes that the word of God 
requires human interpreters ! And is it really so ? Is it ad- 
mitted by Protestants that God's revelation to the world needs 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 311 

human interpreters to make them understood ? Why this is 
the very foundation on which the whole Papal superstructure 
rests ! Remove this, and Papacy is at an end ; but admit it, 
and on what does the faith of the believer rest ? Not surely on 
the teachings o! Christ and His Apostles, but on the interpreta- 
tions of the Clergy ! This is the inevitable consequence of ad- 
mitting the assumptions of that order of men! And if it be 
true, the people have no business with the Scriptures! Yea, 
more, they should in mercy, be taken from them, for they may 
mislead them and endanger their salvation ! What benevolent 
man would permit his children to read a book that would peril 
their eternal salvation? Such are the Scriptures to the people 
on the supposition of expounders ! 

Again, such an admission would throw us back in the bosom 
of "Holy Mother Church ;" for that is the very ground occu- 
pied by her membership, and all she claims is, to direct the faith 
and worship of her members ; and this is claimed too, on the 
very same ground as claimed by the Protestant Clergy, viz : 
That God has chosen certain men for the special purpose of 
expounding His word to the people. Now where is the differ- 
ence between Papists and Protestants even at this time, on the 
supposition of divinely authorized expounders of God's word ? 
There is a difference in appearance — in theory, and in that 
only. The Papists claim infallibility for their expositions. — 
Protestants, with an assumed modesty , yield this claim in theory, 
but they carry it out in practice ! 

The doctrine of every sect originated with sonve man, and 
the doctrines taught by that sect, are esteemed the true inter 
pretation of the word of God, and they act as though they 
were infallibly true, and to deny its truth, is to deny the truth 
of God. This is evident, from the fact of their arraigning and 
expelling from their Churches, all who may, after a careful 
studying of the Scriptures, doubt any of the doctrines of their 
leader or originator. That all the different sects do this, is an 
acknowledged fact, for it is of every day occurrence ; where 



312 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

then is the practical difference between Protestant sects and the 
Papal Church ? If you tamely submit to the interpretations of 
God's word by the Papal authorities, you will not be molested ; 
but if you question their expositions, they will expel you; and 
they now can do no more. You can if you chcose, unite your- 
self to any other sect, but in doing so, you place yourself un- 
der the same law of implicit obedience and non-resistance, and 
the same penalty will invariably follow disobedience to that au- 
thority. We have demonstrated from authentic history, that 
both Papists and Protestants, go as far in their treatment of the 
disobedient as the laws of the country will permit them; and see- 
ing they dare not imprison what they call "Rebels against God,' 9 
nor yet burn those who dare question their "divine right to gov- 
ern in all religious matters," yet they pour out a great flood of 
vituperation, and hunt down all such expelled, for contumacy; 
and (he more especially will they do this, if the expelled per- 
sons are likely to exert any influence. In all cases they will be 
branded as fallen from grace, and as backsliders from God. — 
Now both Papists and Protestants will and have done all this, 
and this is the utmost length of their chain, more, neither dare 
do. The language of Nathan Bangs, "Doctor of Divinity," is 
that of a man who felt impatient of this restraint, and of one 
who ardently desired to inflict severe punishment on all those 
who were so presumptuous as to call in question the divine 
rights of the Methodist Preachers. Hear him again : "Those 
restless spirits, prompted by pride and vain conceit of their 
own abilities, rebel against God, and shall receive their punish- 
ment !" This is ominous language, like the enraged beast, 
struggling to break his chain, that he might devour his vic- 
tims. The only consolation left the Reverend " Doctor of Di- 
vinity" and his clerical brethren, in these unfortunate times of 
religious liberty, secured to us by the civil government, is a 
hope and a persuasion, that God will avenge the insult as offer- 
ed to Himself, in the persons of His u annointed ones!" "They 
shall receive their punishment," though we dare not inflict cm- 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 313 

pie punishment upon such restless, proud, presumptuous rebels 
against God, who are presuming to trust their own judgments 
in matters of religion, and have dared to doubt our "divine 
right to govern them in all such matters." Such is now our un- 
fortunate fate, — "but they shall be punished." God forbid 
that the world should ever again come under Clerical domin- 
ion. The founder of each secteis the Pope of that sect, and 
the interpretations of the Scriptures by him, as embodied in 
their articles of religion, are his successors, as the Holy Scrip- 
tures are the successors of Jesus Christ- The first governs the 
Churches of men, the latter governs the Church of Christ. — 
The one is the voice of men, and the other is the voice of 
Christ, the true shepherd of His sheep. The followers of one are 
the disciples of men, and the others are the disciples of Christ. — 
"His servants ye are, to whom ye yield yourselves servants to 
obey, whether of men or of Christ" — but ye cannot serve two 
masters — "choose ye therefore whom ye will serve," whether 
the interpretations of frail men, or the infallible words of the 
Son of God. So we see that the admission of the pretensions 
of the Clergy, leads directly back to the trammels of Popery, 
and that its practical results are the very same. There is no 
liberty of thought in either the one or the other; and no real, 
thinking, conscientious disciple of the Lord Jesus, can be an 
acceptable member of either ; for they dare not embrace any 
views of Christian doctrines, other than are taught by the foun- 
der of the sect of which they are members ; neither will they 
admit any, only on condition of implicit faith in such articles, 
and a promise of obedience — not faith in the words of Christ, 
but faith in the expositions of His words by the man whose 
name they associate under — not under a promise of obedience 
to the voice of Christ, but to His voice ! These statements are 
not exaggerated, but they are plain facts — they cannot, and we 
presume will not be disputed by any. 

Now if there be any credit due for consistency and candid 
avowel, the Papists have that credit in preference to Protes- 



314 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

tants* They boldly affirm that the Scriptures cannot be under- 
stood by the people, and on this assumed fact, they build their 
superstructure of Clerical intervention, as expounders of Reve- 
lation. Here is consistency in theory and practice, and like 
faithful guardians of the best interest of the people, they will 
not permit them to read the Scriptures without Clerical com- 
ment, to point out their true meaning. This is perfectly right 
and commendable, on the supposition of the need of ex- 
pounders. 

But they are, again, superior to Protestants for consistency, 
in this : That whereas, they claim to be called of God to ex- 
pound His word for the people, they also claim that which 
legitimately proceeds from that assumption, and that is infalli- 
bility for their expositions. Now this conclusion necessarily 
flows from the premises, as a stream does from its fountain, or 
as a shadow from a substance. Dry up the fountain and the 
stream will cease to flow, and not till then. Even so is it with 
divinely authorized expounders of God's word, and the infalli- 
bility of their expositions. For if (hey be not so, they are 
worse than useless — they are dangerous; and if they are not so, 
they cannot be of God, for nothing but infallible truth can by pos- 
sibility proceed from Him. And again, if their expositions may 
be erroneous, how can the people confide in them ? or, where- 
in are they bettered b\ them ? But the Protestant claims divine 
authority, and to be calLd and qualified by God to expound, to 
interpret His Revelation to the people, and theoretically reject 
what they seem sneeringly to call, the Popish doctrine of infal- 
libility for their expositions ! Xow herein is downright and 
glaring inconsistency! This rejection completely nullifies all 
their boasted pretensions. It does more than this, for it renders 
them a dangerous appendage to Christianity, and to the Church! 
They have put on the Philistines' armor, but alas !it don't 
fit them. 

And yet another case of consistency in the Papist, is found 
in their affirming that their members are not accountable 



Treatise on Christianity. 315 

to God, for the use of His word as spoken by Christ and 
His Apostles, but as interpreted by the Clergy. This is per- 
fectly consistent with the claim of divinely authorized expoun- 
ders, for we cannot be made accountable to both the word and 
to the expositions, either in justice or in equity ; but the Pro- 
testant Clergy make us accountable to both ! for we must ad- 
here to their dogmas or they will expel us from their churches, 
and all the time affirm that men are accountable to God for 
what is contained in His revealed word ! Herein is gross in- 
consistency, and no greater absurdity can be conceived of. 

The position assumed by the Papist may be thus fairly sta- 
ted: The Holy Scriptures are not of themselves a sufficient 
guide for man, but God has reserved the right of making His 
own selection from among men, whom He commissions and 
qualifies, to expound and render them intelligible; and, there- 
fore, the people are accountable to God for their obedience to 
the teachings of His authorized interpreters. Now, admitting 
the position assumed, the conclusion is just and equitable ; but 
what are the consequences flowing from the admission of the 
assumption ? They are these: First — God could not make a 
revelation to the world, adapted to the capacities of the mass of 
His creatures ! But why He could not, it will be difficult to 
divine. It could not be for the want of knowing their capaci- 
ties. But perhaps the Clergy can tell, as they are in His se- 
crets ! Second — He would not. And here, we are at a loss 
again, to know why He would not; for it does seem to us, 
that if God had have spoken to us all, individually, through 
His Son Jesus Christ, and His Apostles, all of whom gave 
infallible proof of their divine mission; it would have been 
more satisfactory, more convenient, and more convincing, and 
less liable to abuse. But all conjecture is useless, seeing that 
mystery is characteristic of Revelation, and left to the Clergy 
to unravel and make plain! We must, therefore, leave the solu- 
tion of the enigma to their Reverences. Third — God, out of 
pure love to those amiable gentlemen, gave them a monopoly 



316 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

in the traffic of men's souls! This last is the easiest under- 
stood. Fourth — God could not trust His only begotten and 
well beloved Son, or His Apostles, with all His secrets rela- 
ting to man's salvation; and, therefore, committed the key of 
their solution to His still better beloved and more confidential 
friends ! Now, the Almighty certainly has a reason for all He 
does ; therefore, He had a reason for encumbering Christianity 
with expounders. But we cannot, for the life of us, find the 
shadow of any good reason, why God did not speak to men by 
His Son, without attaching to His mission an immense swarm 
of greedy and corrupt expounders. 

Now these perplexing and unaccountable difficulties, are con- 
sequent upon the admission of the assumptions of the Clergy. 
An assumption involving so many and such great absurdities, 
cannot be true. 

The Protestant declaration stands thus: "The Scriptures are 
the only and the sufficient rule of the faith, and the practice of all 
men who have and can read them." Now this involves no 
difficulties and no absurdities; but it is altogether worthy of the 
wisdom and the goodness of God. But what is the inference 
fairly contained in this position ? It is this : They being all 
sufficent of themselves to direct men in the way of salvation, 
they therefore, need no agents to expound them to the people, 
whether "divinely authorized" or not. But to say that the 
Scriptures are all sufficient of themselves, and therefore require 
an order of men divinely authorized to expound them to the 
people, is a downright absurdity — perfect nonsense ; and yet 
this gross absurdity, and glaring inconsistency, necessarily 
results from the pretension of the Protestant Clergy. 

And yet again is seen the consistency of the Papists, for as 
a necessary consequence of divine authority, they claim passive 
obedience to all their decisions. The Protestants, whilst they 
claim the same authority, yet in theory deny passive obedience! 
Here also, is plain inconsistency ; for it is an acknowledged 
principle, that a divine right includes passive obedience. — - 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 317 

Hence it was, that in former times, when kings claimed to gov- 
ern by divine right, passive obedience on the part of subjects 
was universally conceded, and to rebel against the king, was 
to rebel against God ! and very justly too, for it was rebelling 
against the authority of God, for the king was the authorized 
agent of God. Only admit the claim of the Clergy to be true, 
and passive obedience, and non-resistence follows as a neces- 
sary consequence. This was well understood by Nathan Bangs, 
" Doctor of Divinity," and by the General Conference — the 
legislative body of the Methodist E. Church, composed of their 
most learned, and most intelligent preachers — and not only un- 
derstood, but claimed by them with an ominous threat of pun- 
ishment to the disobedient! and that punishment was inflicted 
to the utmost extent of their pow T er — and so of all other sects 

If the Scriptures do indeed require an order of men to ex- 
pound them, then they are no revelation to the mass of man- 
kind ; for to reveal a thing, is to make it known to the parties 
to whom it is revealed— and another consequence is, that the 
mass of mankind have nothing to do with the Scriptures. The 
Clergy only should have them, as with them is deposited the 
key to their mysteries and true meaning. On their expositions 
rests the faith of the Church ! 

Again, the well-being of the Church demands that the ex- 
positions of the Clergy should be infallible, for the faith and 
the hopes of the Christian, all rest on the teachings of Christ, 
and if His instructions are not infallibly true, or if there be a 
■possibility of their not being true, then is their faith vain, and 
their hopes blasted ! If, therefore, the faith of a believer is in 
any wise made to depend on the expositions of the Clergy, they 
must be as infallible as God himself, or as His word, which is 
the same thing. If they be not so, ail faith and hope founded 
on their expositions are fallacious and vain ! The idea of be- 
ing deceived on things involving the interest of enternity, is 
appalling, and destructive of all confidence and sure hope. — 
To say then, that the church requires divinely authorized ex- 



313 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

pounders to render God's word effectual, and to deny the infal* 
libility of their expositions, is to make the faith and the hopes 
of the church to stand on an insecure foundation, and conse- 
quently the salvation ot her members are exposed to imminent 
hazard and uncertainty. We will, if possible, make this yet 
more plain. You say that the instructions which you receive 
from your Clergy, are the true expositions of the word of God; 
and on the belief of those expositions you build your faith and 
your hopes of Heaven. Certainly you do, if you believe them 
true. Yet yon admit hat they are not infallibly true; then yen 
it is possible that they may not be true ; then yon 
must also admit that you: faith may be feunded in error. 1 
very admission a: onee destroys all sore hope, and dims all 
u prospects of Heaven, The very ; sssibility of being de- 
-■el. destroys all joy in believing— aire hew can any man 
e a "good hope through fdi*h," in the expositions of men, 
whom they admit may teach errors : But it is not so w 
i whose fs ith q the of man, bnt is foira- 

: d th ; is of Grd's beloved Sen, and on the ne. 

words of his authoriz 1 .. mission stands 

the b us re af miracles, pnri y :' life : f doctrine, and per- 

fect persona] such build on a . . 

2 they believe that their teachings 

- - lltbh : ■ ..-:. baying be r '.. Tiers seal is not 

at e. ""success : but " God lrr:e them witness by signs, 

- : nders. ii the H h : st' 1 — sr 

that ; - e and whe s rever 

b jod who F : m : f I 

four, h jccnsolatioi 

ssedl 
and herefore 

I t perhaps ] i will s? e 3c Dot im] licitly pend . 

>on the es itionsof ourC .... b 

■ : . : e : " ire not " i 

:i, qual[ : 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 319 

Now we have shewn that to admit their claim and doubt the 
truth, the entire truth of their teachings, you stand self-convic- 
ted of rebellion against God ! for you say that God has selec- 
ted, qualified, and sent them to expound His word to the peo- 
ple. He must have intended then, that the people should be- 
lieve on the truth of their teachings, for if not, why send them 
at all? 

Again, if you " presume to trust your own judgment, " in re- 
lation to the truth or falsehood of what they teach, you assune 
to understand the Scriptures better than those whom you ac- 
knowledge to be the " divinely authorized " teachers sent to 
you by God ! that is, " to be prompted by pride, and vain 
conceit of your own abilities," so said Dr. Bangs. Further- 
more, if you feel yourself capable of correcting your teacher, 
then you confess that you can understand the Scriptures with- 
out an expounder ; and if ycu, who are not " divinely author- 
ized" can, why cannot all in your condition do the same ? If 
men will sit in judgment on the expositions of God's author- 
ized expounders — of men selected and qualified by Himself for 
the special purpose of expounding His word, then wherein is 
it necessary that they should be divinely authorized ? What 
advantage does it confer on men, if they cannot be implicitly 
depended upon in all they teach ? If, at last, the hearers are 
permitted and take the liberty of expounding for themselves, 
why may they not do the same thing at the first ? 

Again, if men (Protestants we mean) will not admit the infal- 
libility of their "divinely authorized expounders," r.nd yet will 
maintain that they are essential to render the Gospel efficacious 
to the salvation of souls, wh it is it that makes the efficacy of 
the Gospel of God dependent on them: Is it the voice of the 
Preacher? Is it any peculiar modulation of the voice? Is it 
the manner of delivery, or the appearance of the man? Cr is 
it all these together? If so, wherein decs a Preacher's voice or 
appearance, differ from that of any other man, if dressed in 
black? Does his being " divinely authorized" change his 



320 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

voice or appearance ? or are his words any more true than if 
spoken by any other man ? That cannot be, for you presume 
to determine by your own judgment, whether or not what he 
teaches be agreeable to the word of God ! You could do no 
more with any other man's teachings ! 

Again, if Protestant Clergy theoretically yield infallibility as 
an evidence and fruit of the divinity of their call ; or if unity of 
teaching, purity of life, perfect disinterestedness, and much less 
miracles cannot be claimed by them, then what evidence do 
they give ? On what are their disciples to rely ? To every 
thinking man, the want of unity of leaching alone, should be 
an indubitable proof of the utter fallacy of all their pretensions. 
As for disinterestedness they are equally at fault, ior there are 
no positions in life that present more allurements to a young 
man of moderate circumstances and ambitious aspirations for 
the good things of this life, than is to be found in the pulpit 
No, not one ! The ladies almost worship a " nice young man" 
in the pulpit ! The station presents attractions for young men 
of the most corrupt principles. If they be deists, the advan- 
tages of such a station will induce them to keep up outward 
appearances of piety. How then is a congregation to know 
whether their preacher be a deist or a Christian? They only 
have his ivord for it, — the word of a deeply interested men ! 
So far as men may be judged by their conduct, the pulpit ex- 
hibits as much vanity, pride, self importance and insolence too, 
as the forum, and as much zealous declamation as the ' f stump !" 

But it is triumphantly said an "unction attends the preaching 
of a man who is truly called of God." But what kind of 
unction is meant? There is an unction of parties in politics, 
with which the stump orator inflames the passions of his party 
to the highest pitch oi enthusiasm. Is there any divinity in 
all that? We think not. The general of an army, if beloved 
by his soldiers, can induce them by his appeals, to clamor for 
the slaughter of thousands of their fellow beings, who never 
harmed them ! Were those generals divinely authorized ? — 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 321 

Peter, the hermit, moved all Europe with one impuls* — with 
a spirit of vengeance against the Mohammedans, which re- 
sulted in the destruction of millions of human beings ! Now 
this was the unction of fanaticism and Papacy, and is at the 
present day, considered by all discriptions of persons as a 
species of phrenzy little short of madness ! But then it was 
affirmed by all the learned "Doctors of Divinity," and by God's 
chief ambassador, the successor of St Peter, and by all the 
" divinely authorized Clergy," to be the unction of the Holy 
Ghost and the power of God ; and that Peter, the hermit, was 
the honored instrument in the hand of God in producing this 
wonderful religious excitement, for it was a purely religious 
movement. But is it considered by Protestants as originating 
with God ? If any man's success in persuading men to believe 
m his opinions of God's word, be an evidence of the divinity of 
his mission and the unction of the Holy Ghost, then Peter, the 
hermit, far exceeded all the Apostles, for his success was much 
greater than they altogether! All the opinions of men that have 
been started in the profesiing world, however differing the one 
from the other, have claimed the " unction" or influence of the 
Holy Ghost, and attributed their success to the "power of God!" 
Great success attended John Calvin, in teaching the doctrine 
of unconditional election and reprobation ; and great success 
has attended Armenius and his successors, in teaching the op- 
posite, and proclaiming his doctrines false ! Now, if their 
divine authority imparted the unction of the Holy Spirit to the 
preaching, and was the instrument of the powerful efftcts pro- 
duced by it on the hearts and consciences of the people, as they 
and their disciples say, what is the consequence of admitting 
it to be true ? Why, that the Holy Ghost flatly contradicts 
Himself and sustains falsehood ! — for one of the two must be 
false. Again, the Universalists widely differ from them bo'.h, 
and they charge the Universalists of teaching damnable errors; 
and yet they claim the unction of the Holy Spirit, and they say 
that God owns their teachings. And there are the Quakers too, 



322 TREATISE OK CHRISTIANITY. 

who profess to be directed by the Holy Spirit ; and powerful 
effects attended their preaching on various occasions, and they 
denounce the whole order of the Clergy as anti- Christian, and 
are, as a Christian sect, the most exemplary of all others ; they 
are more to be distinguished from the world by their Christian 
profession, than all other sects recognizing an order of Clergy; 
and it is worthy of particular notice, that all the sects that dis- 
card that order of men, are the most exemplary Christians, and 
more distinguished from the world, of all others that admit 
them. 

From what we have stated, it is plain that the success at- 
tending the preaching of any doctrine, is not attributable to the 
unction of the Holy Spirit, or to the "power of God;" for sects 
of whatever variety and opposing doctrines, produce convictions 
and conversions to their peculiar creeds ; yea, every enthusiastic, 
hair-brained fanatic can, and does get up religious excitement 
and each attributes such excitements to the power of God, and 
denominate them conversions. So they ^re conversions to 
the party who converted them ; but are they converted to Chris- 
tianity ? Is it by the operation of the Holy Spirit? Will the 
spirit of God and of truth, bear witness to error and falsehood 
alike? All cannot be true ! Now, the preachers of all these 
contradictory creeds, claim to be selected and authorized by the 
God of truth, to propagate their various and conflicting opin- 
ions, and the effects produced by their preaching, they call the 
"power of God" and the "unction of the Holy Spirit!" — 
What absurdity and self- deception ! We do verily believe that 
the most of them are persuaded that such is the fact ! The 
Clergy cannot, therefore, claim as an evidence of the divinity 
of their mission, the accessions to their parties, or the excite- 
ments produced by their preachings, seeing that the same is 
produced by all, however absurd their doctrines may be; and 
seeing that opposing sects charge each the ether, ot propoga- 
ting errors, yea, even the worst of heresies, and all attribute 
their success to the "unction of the Holy Ghost !" 



TREATISE OH CHHISTIAN1TY. 323 

This part of our investigation is of vast importance, for we 
are very confident that thousands upon thousands are grossly 
deceived on this very subject. What then is it that produces 
these effects, if it be not the power of God ? Various causes 
will account for them — fully account for them, without the 
manifest absurdity of attributing it to the interposition of God. 
First — the nature of our constitutional make, is such as to be 
operated on, and powerfully influenced by various moving 
causes. Eloquence has been known to create very great ex- 
citement, and to be productive of important results, and that 
too, independent of the mutter ol ihe oration. This is 
evident from the well known fact that an oration as delivered 
by one man, if done in an indifferent and careless manner, %vill 
produce little or no emotion in the hearers, yet the very same, 
if delivered by a man of eloquence, with great zeal and vehe- 
mence, will enlist the feelings, and lead captive the judgments 
of his hearers, and infuse his own spirit and feelings into them! 
Now, it is quite evident that all the emotion produced by the 
one orator more than the other, is in the manner of delivery, 
his impassioned eloquence, or his fiery and glowing zeal; fcr 
this latter power is often more exciting in its tendancy than 
pure eloquence. The most illiterate men can, and have pro- 
duced great emotion in their hearers, simply by the warmth of 
their zeal ; but if it be so, that great sensations may, and have 
been produced by pure impassioned eloquence, by men notpro- 
jessing Godliness, and on subjects Jo j^eign to religion too, then 
we have demonstrated that very great excitements mav, and 
have been realized without the influence of the Holy Spirit ; 
and if such powerful effects be the result of zeal and eloquence 
on other matters, why may not the same causes beget the same 
amount of feeling and excitement on religious subjects? Can 
any person assign any good reason why they should not ? This 
point is, of consequence, conceded. 

But again, the human race are " fearfully and wonderfully 
made." Like a finely tuned instrument, they can be played upon 



324 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

by a skillful performer with great effect, through the mediura 
of the passions and the law of sympathy. Only let a man give 
a detailed statement of some tragical event, and throw into the 
narration the feelings of horror and indignation at the perpetra- 
tor, and the same sensations will be produced on those that 
hear him ; bat let another relate the same occurrence, and with 
pathos depict the sufferings of the innocent victim of the cruelty 
and outrage of the perpetrator, and a different sensation will be 
produced ; the heart will swell with emotions of compassion 
and pity, even to tears, and to an outbreak of weeping in the 
more sensitive of his hearers ! From hence it is, that when a 
Preacher details to his auditors in a vivid and impassioned 
manner, the sufferings of the immaculate and unoffending Son 
of God, that such an outbreak of feeling is so frequently wit- 
nessed in churches. There are some men peculiarly suited to 
produce those excitements, and among such men some have 
been known not to have been the most blameless in their moral 
characters, witness the Reverend J. N. F.; this man was fa- 
mous for getting up revivals, and we have heard a very celebra- 
ted Preacher of the same denomination with the man himself, 
say that he firmly believed the Reverened gentleman to be a 
Deist if not an Athiest, many years before he was dismissed 
from the church ! Now this man can count more converts, as 
" seals of his ministry ," "and as proofs of the divinity of his 
mission," than any dozen others who are far better men! Now 
did God bear testimony to this mart's pretended divine mission? 
The fact is, the same sensations would be produced at the 
pathetic recital of the innocent suffering of any beloved friend, 
What would be the excitement in a congregation, if twenty or 
fifty of the number had fathers, husbands or brothers, far from 
home, and the first news they heard from them, was announced 
from the pulpit by the Preacher, in a glowing and high colored 
detail of their horrid murder? Would not the effects be alarms 
ing? Would not the feelings of the more sensitive produce 
weeping, lamentation, and even fainting and hysterical fits, if 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 325 

not death itself? It certainly would. Would this be the 
" power of God !" Would it not be a diabolical act of the 
Preacher himself? Now the immediate agency of God has 
nothing to do with it ; yea, it is cruel and barbarous in this 
case, yet the effects are the same. It is a law of our nature 
thus to be effected, and we cannot restrain our emotions and 
feelings if we would. 

Neither does the effect produced depend on the truth or 
falsehood of the matter of the oration, or the recital ; for the very 
same emotions and to the same degree will be produced, if both 
art false. It is only necessary that the hearers at the time be- 
lieve them to be true. Our sensations are not so tuned as to 
be moved by what is true only, and remain dormant when error 
is presented. So far from that being the fact, that it is not 
unusual for that which we know to be false to move us. How 
often has the Miss wept over a pathetic romance, when at the 
same time she was fully aware that such things as there related 
never occurred, or if at all, only the one hundreth part of it; 
and it was only by calling to her aid her reason and judgment, 
that her feelings could becalmed. All this is experimentally 
known. But falsehood, when received as truth, will produce 
equal and as powerfully operative effects as truth itself ! This 
position can be easily illustrated by facts, and these effects will 
be as permanent as the belief in the falsehood endures, and that 
may be for, ages ! for how many hundreds of years did the 
errors of Popery last? And what wonderful effects did this 
gross superstition accomplish ? It subdued the world, and held 
nations and kings in subjection ! It built immense cathedrals, 
and endowed them with magnificent gifts and princely reve- 
nues. It supported millions o^ haughty and idle Clergy ! — 
Yea, its all powerful energy overcome the strongest parental 
affections, for the most affectionate of mothers have voluntarily 
delivered up their own offspring — the fruits of their own bodies, 
to the most cruel and fiendish torments and death, at the in- 
stance of their spiritual guides, believing that they were per- 



326 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

forming a most acceptable service to Christianity ! Thus suf- 
fering in the persons of their own children, all the agonies of 
death in its most terrific forms ! What sustained these affec- 
tionate mothers under such unsurpassing bereavements ? It 
was faith ! — yea, it was faith ! But was it such a faith as is 
produced by the operation of the spirit of God ? No, verily ; 
but it was that faith which is produced by the operation of the 
spirit of God's ambassadors, so called; of the "divinely author- 
ized expounders of His word;" or rather, of demons in ihe form 
of men ! It was this that shut up the fountain of human sym- 
pathy in the tender mother's bosom, made to love and cherish 
her offspring by the God of nature ! Now what greater con- 
quests than these, can the sublime and established truths of the 
Gospel produce on mankind ? 

Again, the Mohammedan dies with as full assurance of going 
to Paradise as does the Christian, and he is as confident that 
the Christian will go to hell, as the Christian believes that the 
Mohammedan is in a damnable error. The deceived and in- 
fatuated Idolater will joyfully cast himself beneath the wheel? 
of the ponderous car of his God, and be crushed to death with 
the confident belief that he will obtain a more elevated station in 
Heaven for the deed! The Hindoo will drown his aged parents, 
his children, and himself too, in the sacred waters of the Gan- 
ges, in the confident hope of living forever ! Instances in- 
numerable might be presented, of the effect and power of a false 
and superstitious belief, equaling anything ever produced by 
the belief of the truth ! 2s it therefore the unction of the spirit 
of God that produces them > Is it the power of God ? If not, 
then it is demonstrable that considering the excitements, the 
feelings, and the wonderful visible effects produced by preach- 
ing, abstract from other considerations they are no proof of the 
truth of the doctrines taught by the Preacher. Even the tri- 
umphant death of the believer in such doctrines, is no evidence 
whatever of their truth ! It is only an evidence that the per- 
sons received them from their teachers as truths, and no more. 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 327 

And yet they may have suffered all their lives by acts of self- 
denial, and died triumphantly in the sure hope of immortality, 
and yet have lived and died in the belief of a gross falsehood. 
This conclusion cannnot possibly be disputed. Thus we have 
seen how all these boasted effects of the Clergy, are easily ac- 
counted for on obvious natural principles, and all the absurd 
consequences resulting from attributing them to the "unction 
of the Holy Ghost " are entirely obviated. Now, against these 
acknowledged facts, it would be silly to produce the objection, 
that they do not accompany all preaching, nor at all times by 
the same preachers. Hence there are long intervals of calm, 
and not a ripple is seen on the stream of religious feeling. If 
this latter fact could not be satisfactorily accounted for, yet the 
others are demonstrated to be true ; but this is easily accounted 
for, without any resort to the " divine influence. ; ' Preacher? 
are men of various talents, natural and acquired, and their tem- 
peraments are as various as other mens. We never perceived 
any difference produced in a man on his becoming a Preacher, 
'unless it was in his own estimation of himself, and it usually 
produces that effect, and we never knew it to beget humility ! 
They being then like other men, some are eloquent and learned, 
others sanguine and warm in their attachments. These men are 
calculated to produce an effect by their natural pursuasive pow- 
ers, and kind and affectionate feelings; but the very same effect 
would result in any other sphere where such talents could be 
used to advantage ; others again, are bold, daring, persevering, 
and ardent in their feelings. These men are zealous — their 
discourses are mostly of the terrific cast, and calculated to alarm 
and arouse the dormant feelings of their hearers, and when they 
exert themselves produce great effect ; others again are cold 
and phlegmatic. The discourses of such, are usually address- 
ed to the judgment and understanding, and little or no excite- 
ment is visible under their preaching; but if they are sensible 
men and good Christians, much sound information may be de- 
rived from them. Such men as these very seldom get up re- 



328 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

vivals, they are not the kind of men for that. There are be- 
sides, various shades of temperaments, constitutionally so, and 
all produce their corresponding effects. These things account 
for the various success of Preachers in producing excitement. 
But why are not the same effects produced by the same Preach- 
ers at all times ? We ask why are not men's natural feelings 
ilways the same ? Why is it, that at times the same person is 
dull and sluggish, and even melancholy, and at other times 
lively and cheerful ? Our hopes and fears ebb and flow like 
the tides ? Can we satisfactorily account for it at all times ? 
but it is nevertheless so. It is the law of our animal nature. 
So the law of mind partakes of the like changes. Sometimes 
our thoughts are occupied for a length of time on subjects of 
one class, and then another, by turns — at times the mind will 
be turned to religious matters — this may be produced by sick- 
ness, death or some occurrence ; and at others by reading, re- 
flection, conversation, or by preaching; and persons have dated 
their first permanent religious impressions at the theatre and ball 
room, horse race and gambling table ! and so there are numer- 
ous means that are calculated to arouse the mind to moral and 
religious reflection. "The goodness of God should, and does 
lead many to repentance. ,? Now the eloquence and zeal of the 
Preachers, addressed to such persons,, at such times, has w»- 
usual effect on them ; and also the Preachers themselves are sub- 
jected to all these various changes of mind, of moral and reli- 
gious sensations. Hence at times their discourses are languid 
and void of energy — and at other times, their own feelings be- 
ing aroused, they make unusual exertions, and their discourses 
become correspondingly energetic and full of zeal, and they se- 
lect subjects calculated to beget feeling in their hearers, and 
dwell on them with pathos and deep interest, with warm exhor- 
tations, persevering in their zealous efforts by warm and ardent 
prayer, lively hymns and protracted meetings. All these 
efforts must produce effects, a religious excitement follows, and 
this is called the " Power of God 5" When the performer has 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 329 

only been playing on his instruments, human sensations ! and if 
any subject be calculated to produce powerful feelings of hopes 
and fears in the human breast, it is that of religion when urged 
home upon the feelings and the consciences of the people.— 
The topics are Heaven with all its glories, and hell with all its 
horrors ; eternal life and eternal damnation. The great won- 
der is, not why emotions are produced, but why it is not more 
frequent, without resorting to the " power of God" as the 
efficient '-ause ; for the theme of itself, is all-sufficient to ex- 
haust the sources of eloquence and to beget the most ardent 
zeal, and to produce the most astonishing effects. 

Again, when the Preacher feels that something should be 
done, and those feelings of which we have spoken as common 
to all men, comes upon him, he sets himself about getting up a 
revival, and every means that he can devise is resorted to, in 
order to create excitement. The members of the church are 
stimulated to unusual exertions, to get their " feelings warmed 
up," their languor and indifference is reproved, exciting hymns 
are sung in the most lively strains. The tone of the discour- 
ses correspond with the rest of the machinery, and a whole 
array of preparation are brought to bear on the feelings and 
sympathies of a congregation of sensitive beings! Is it to be 
, wondered at if three, four, or even fifty or sixty, in a company 
of from three to five hundred persons, should be aroused, when 
the most terrific threatnings of hell and the glowing delights 
of Heaven, are presented in the most vivid colors imaginable 
to the hearers ; and when the slightest impression is made on 
one o; two, they are entreated to come to the mourners bench 
"and have all their sins forgiven ;" they are assured that there 
God will meet them and make of them new creatures ! Now 
when all these appliances, all these exciting means are resorted 
to, and continued for days, is it marvelous that a whirlwind 
of passion is the result? We think that the greatest wonder 
would be on the other side. Wherein does such effects differ 
from political excitements? In nothing, only the one is got- 



B3T0 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

ten up for political purposes, and the other has religion for its 
object. The politician presents the good of the country as the 
motive. Inflammatory speeches and equally inflammatory and 
patriotic songs are the means, used to produce excitement and 
action. The very same means are used by the Preacher, and 
the same sensitive beings are operated on, and the result is the 
same ! The Preacher has the advantage a thousand fold in 
his subject, and the result should be much greater ; for what 
is a change of administration, when compared to an escape 
from the horrors of hell, and the promise of the glories of Hea- 
ven ? — " a mere drop in the bucket!" Now why the one is 
admitted to be the product of the power and craft of man, and 
the other dignified into the " power of God," the Clergy only- 
can tell ! To us they are both fully within the range ot the ef- 
forts of men, without any supernatural aid. The excitement 
in both cases evaporate and die away when the means cease to 
be exerted, and the abiding converts to either, are few indeed, 
for when the excitement is over, the greater part of both, return 
to their usual indifference. The church suffers immensely 
by these excitements, for the subjects of them become mem- 
bers of the church, and there, many of them who can succeed 
in keeping from out-breaking and gross wickedness, remain as 
dead weights and stumbling stones, through whom many stum- 
ble into perdition! 

Seeing then that these things are true, what evidence can be 
derived from this source that the " divine power " attends the 
efforts of the Clergy, as affording the slightest proof of their 
being "specially called of God to preach, or expound His 
word ?" As the same efforts will, and have produced the same 
effects, in any and every case, without respect to truth orfalsa- 
hood. All our arguments and illustrations have been presented 
to remove this dangerous and very erroneous claim of the Cler- 
gy, from deceiving mankind into the foolish belief of their de- 
pendence on them for the "bread that giveth life to the soul of 
man^" and as affording no proof of their appointment by God, as 



TX2AT1SE OX CHRISTIANITY. 3S1 

an indispensible part of the economy of grace ; so that if the 
church should deem such excitements proper and useful, they 
can be gotten up at intervals, and can be kept up until weari- 
ness compells to repose, or the novelty be past, and no longer. 
All this we say can be done if no such order of men existed in 
the whole world. 

But whilst we contend that all the claims of that arrogant 
order are false and dangerous, yet we are not enemies to all 
religious excitement, for if any interests should be persued 
with all possible ardor and zeal, it is religion that claims the 
first in importance over all others. Therefore the efforts of all 
christians should be unremitting to promote true and pure Chris- 
tianity, and when any evidence of serious reflection is mani- 
fested, the believer in Christ should endeavor to fan it into a 
flame, and if excitement be the result, let the church, the grav- 
est and the most experienced members of the church, and the 
Elders, take care to conduct its progress with christian prudence, 
wisdom and discretion, least satan, as an angel of light, enter 
in and spoil the whole, and produce a strange fire, in imitation 
of the fire that proceedeth from the operation of the spirit of 
truth and of God; and this the adversary will do if permitted, 
and it requires men well read in the pure word of God, and 
deep christian experience, to detect his arts. "Satan goeth a- 
bout like a beast of prey, seeking whom he may devour;" and 
he is as much at camp meetings and protracted meetings, and 
in the midst of revivals, as he is at places of public amuse- 
ments, yea, he will seem to promote the excitement, and to 
to be the very best friend to all the proceedings in operation, 
and suggest others of more efficiency. He will propose that the 
young, inexperienced, and those members whose lives are any 
thing but exemplary should take an active part in it, as the 
young can sing louder and livelier, and produce the greater 
effect; beside, it will tend to encourage themselves, and the 
loose members will get themselves excited and "blessed!" 
and the more machinery satan can get into operation the better 



332 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

for his purpose ; for then, it will manifestly appear to the sensi- 
ble and reflecting, to be the work of men, and such will become 
disgusted, whilst he persuades the ignorant, the young and 
inexperienced, that it is "getting religion ! " But those only, 
who are the " disciples indeed of Christ, and consequently are 
well versed in gospel truths," "are not ignorant of his de- 
vices," and these alone should conduct such meetings. 

But the pure word of God has an unction and a power; but 
they do not depend on eloquence, declamation, or the pathos of 
the Preacher, but on the amount of faith which is reposed on that 
word. If it be received as the word of God, by which, with- 
oat doubt our eternal destinies will, and must be decided. — 
Then it is that the gospel " worketh in such a believer 
effectually " and is invariably productive of a life of self- 
denial and holy living, and of all the fruits of the spirit; 
for every kind of seed produces its like. The words of God 
therefore, can produce nothing but true Godliness. The man 
converted by the power of the gospel invariably brings forth 
the fruits of the power that converted him. He knows no 
" man after the flesh, " he " knows none but Christ and Him 
crucified. " He recognizes neither the Pope, Luther, Calvin, 
Fox, Wesley, or any other man, as directors, guides, or con- 
trollers of his faith. To him, " Christ, the son of the living, " 
is the only way to the Father and to eternal life. In a word, 
such a believer, is in very deed, and in fact, the disciple of 
Christ. All such "have their fruit unto holiness, and their 
end is eternal life. " 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 333 

A LEARNED MINISTRY THE SECOND HORN OF 
THE PROTESTANT BEAST. 

To make an attack on a system from whence men derive 
temporal advantage, such as honor and emolument ; they will 
defend themselves by every subterfuge that craft, intrigue and 
malice can devise. So it is with the Clergy. If as Protes- 
tants, they cannot sustain the Papal claim, of a " divine right 
to expound God's word, " they have another resort, and that is 
" learning. " Hence they unblushingly affirm thatmucA learn- 
ing is necessary to comprehend the meaning of the " voice of 
God, " as recorded in the New Testament ! This is another 
device of the " order, " to bring men under their control ; but 
it is done at the expense of the supremacy of the Scriptures, 
as " a rule of faith and of practice, " to individual believers ; 
for any person must at once see, that if such an assumption be 
admitted, it follows that the Holy Scriptures can avail the great 
majority of believers nothing, and also the mass of mankind 
are effectually debarred from any profitable access to the word 
of God, and it makes all men completely dependent upon the 
11 Clergy" for the means of salvation ; for on such a supposi- 
tion the mind of God can only be known through a " learned 
ministry ! " 

The consequence, therefore, of admitting the necessity of a 
" learned ministry, " is to deny the all- sufficiency of the Scrip- 
tures of themselves ; for if such a ministry be necessary to the 
understanding of them, then surely the Scriptures cannot be 
sufficient without, and if not sufficient, then they are not 
effectual; and this is the old doctrine of "Holy .Mother Church" 
in a new and a disguised form, the better to deceive the people! 
The Papal Clergy said that the keys committed to Peter by 
Christ, consisted in certain cabalistic sentences, which being 
too sacred to be written in a book for the eyes of the vulgar 
mass of believers to gaze upon, were therefore entrusted to the 



3$4 T&EATISE OK CHRISTIANITY. 

u tacred erder, " and by means of which "talisman" the Cler- 
gy unlocked the door of God's store-house, and communicated 
the " bread of life " to the ignorant and famished people, a^ 
their Reverences thought proper ; but always for an equivalent 
in gold and silver! — on this account the "learned Clergy" are 
called "doctors of divinity," the healers of men's souls.! 
Now we were always ignorant enough to think the " curing of 
souls " was exclusively the work of Christ ! However that 
may be, the Clergy claim it, and the claim brings them immense 
wealth, for the ignorant people thought that by exchanging 
gold, silver and apparel, for the " bread of life, " was on their 
part a very profitable bargain, and so it was too ; for it may true- 
ly be said, "what will it profit a man if he gain the whole 
world and lose his soul ? or what will a man give in exchange 
for his soul ? The Clergy therefore, possessing the monopoly 
of this " Heavenly Treasure," had the " vantage ground ;" 
for give them ever so much of this world's goods, still on the 
principle of equivalents, the penitent was greatly in arrears to 
his "spiritual doctor. " A good and a pious Papist therefore, 
verily thought that he could never compensate the Holy Priest- 
hood! Hence it was, that not having done so during his life, 
large legacies were bequeathed to the "sacred order" when 
about to leave the world, and in return his spiritual adviser un- 
locked the door of Heaven to the dying man! Now Protes- 
tants admit that all this is true of the Papal Clergy, and they 
also admit that it is in them, all deception and horrible "Priest 
Craft, " and so it is. 

But is this kind of deception and craft confined to the Papal 
Clergy? No indeed; but it is common to the " order," and 
it also obtains in Protestant churches ! The latter profess 4o 
discard the authority of " tradition, " as one of the "horns oi 
the beast ; " but they substitute in its place the authority of 
"learning; " and with the Protestant Clergy, "learning" is the 
key with which they unlock " God's store-house," and with it 
they would make the people equally as dependent on them for 



fBEAflS* OK CflRISTIANlTY. 335 

the "bread of life." Do they not also claim to be " doctors 
of divinity V Do they pre s tribe for nothing*! Do they mrt 
barter their " interpretations " of the word of God for gold and 
silver ? What more than this did the Papal Clergy ? Will it 
be said that the prejudices of the people are in favor of a learn- 
ed ministry ? So are the people in favor of "Hying after the 
flesh," and so they will ever be, so long as they can substitute 
their money in supporting learned men, to make eloquent ora- 
tions, in the room of practical Godliness ; and we well know 
that it is far more agreeable to listen to such, than to " keep 
the sayings of Christ" — " than to deny ourselves of all ungod^ 
liness and worldly lusts, and to live soberly, Godly, and righte- 
ously in this world ; " but we all know this to be our duty, with- 
out a * learned ministry," and we are very willing to barter oar 
duty for our entertainment, and to give odds in our hard earn- 
ed gold and silver, even if our families lacked comfortable shel- 
ter, wholesome food and good clothing! 

But from whence originates this prejudice? No man who 
values his reputation for a knowledge of the Scriptures, will 
say that it proceeds from the teachings, or the example of Christ 
01 his Apostles ; but a hired arid an idle Clergy have created this 
prejudice in the people. It is the offspring of their Reveren- 
ces, and the darling of their hearts. They nourish it as a wo- 
man does her suckling ! Hence we frequently hear them in 
their prayers, thanking God for giving the Church a " learned 
and living ministry, " and :hey learn the people to do the same ! 
They teach the people to believe that it is degrading for th* 
Preacher to labor like themselves ; and that God will punish 
them if they do not support them in idleness ; or which is live 
same thing, for they spend six days in patching up some 
old sermon for the Sabbath. (For, of a large majority of 
Preachers, this is literally true.) The Clergy, like the crafty 
Politician, manufactures public opinion, and then profit by it ; 
but Jesus said, " learn of me ! " 

If " learning" be necessary to make the truth of God effectual, 



336 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

why was the Methodist Clergy so successful in their commence- 
ment ? For it is well known that they were all unlearned men, 
so much so that by all the popular sects they were repudiated as 
totally incompetant, and were not recognized b} them as Min- 
isters of Christ at all ; yet they were very successful in making 
converts, far outstripping all the " learned Ministry" — yea, 
they gloried in their want of learning ! They boasted that 
learning was no part of a Preachers qualification, and that it 
only engendered pride ! 

But they have forgotten the pit from whence they were taken, 
and are now as grasping after " learned distinctions" as are 
•thers of the " sacred order." Their colleges, professors, and 
11 doctors of divinity," are advancing rapidly, and ere long a 
" learned Ministry" will be indispensable with them too. So 
that it is plain that the grapes were sour only when they were 
out of their reach ! So vaciiating and inconsistant are men ! 
God only is unchangeable, and amidst all the mutations of 
men His word abideththe same. His assembly founded on that 
word, must likewise always remain the same from generation 
to generation, down to the end of days ! The assembly of 
Christ's disciples — " the church of the living God, is the pillar 
and the ground of truth ;" all beside is changing, fluctuating, 
and doubtful. But the assemblies of Christ are founded on a 
rock as immutable and unchangable as God himself! Here 
the disciple of the Son of God may stand secure, and bid the 
successive waves of human passions and changes, roll on ! 

" Learning" is now the key to unlock the Scriptures with 
the Protestant Clergy, as "tradition" was with the Papist, and 
Protestants equally profit by it. That is such an amount 
of literature as but very few could obtain. Latin, Greek and 
Hebrew, and the writings of the " Fathers," together with 
creeds, concessions of faith, articles of religion, commentaries, 
and ponderous volumes of divinity, are now the keys to open 
the door of God's store-house of Heavenly wisdom ; and a 
'Mearned Ministry" deals out the " bread of life" to the 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 337 

famished and ignorant people ; and this, like their predeces- 
sors, they do in return for gold and silver. The facts here sta- 
ted cannot be controverted, for the particulars named, do con- 
stitute what is called "Theological learning, " and the knowl- 
edge of these things, makes a "learned Ministry," and secures 
the title of "Doctor of Divinity" to their possessor! Now, 
if it requires the third part of this learning, to make men Chris- 
tians, what is to become of all such as cannot acquire it? — 
They must either be lost, or submit to the dictation of the 
Clergy; and this was precisely their fate in the Papal Church ; 
and if it be not necessary, to make good Christians, where is 
the necessity for it at a I? — do not they profess to have no other 
object in view, but to make men good Christians? Is there 
anything other than the teachings nf Christ and His Apostles, 
required to make men of all condiiinns, such as God will ap- 
prove of? If not, why is other knowledge sought after for that 
only purpose? The Clergy only can tell. The Apostle told be- 
lievers that they were " complete in Christ. " But if the pre- 
tensions of the Clergy be admitted, then it is not so; but believ- 
ers are only complete through a " learned Ministry .'" "The 
weapons of our warfare," said the Apostle, "are not ; carnal, * 
but mighty through Cod. " By the term "carnal," al! know 
is meant " worldly. ' : The kingdom of God not " being of 
this world," it will, therefore, form no alliance vnth if. Its vic- 
tories are not achieved by any of its means. The true con- 
quests won by the Gospel, are purely by the 1 ' Power of God,'- 
The Gospel itself is that power. Now one of the essential 
weapons of a "carnal" warfare, is " money" — gold and silver. 
These are the u sinews of war." Money supplies all the mu- 
nitions of war; it is that which imparts efficiency to the des- 
tructive engines of death! Money creates and supports armies 
of men to fight the battles of this world, and money makes trai- 
tors to their country; and those to whom the destinies of a na- 
tion have been confided with money, have been bribed to be- 
tray that country. Money is the leading weapon in " carnal 



338 T&EAliSE OSf CHKISTIAN1T7. 

warfare." It is the chief weapon in the hands of the " God 
of this world," by which He achieves His greatest conquests. 
Money is the " root of all evil," the coveting of which, has in- 
volved mankind in snares, temptations, and horrible crimes, 
and drowned their souls in perdition ! Is it not then very 
strange, that God should have made the interest and the effi- 
ciency of His Gospel, to depend on an agent so prone and so 
powerful to do evil? and that too, when the Holy Ghost had 
pronounced money to be the " root of all evil !" Was not this 
leading His people into temptation ? Was it not enticing them 
into snares, and crimes, and perdition ? Now, however absurd, 
and glaringly ridiculous this may be, yet on the supposition of 
the necessity of a " learned and an idle Ministry," God has 
selected the very chief of sat an' s weapons, to effect the eman- 
cipation of souls from his domination; or in other words, God 
having proclaimed war against the powers of evil, has never- 
theless, out of courtesy to his satanic majesty, the prince of 
evil, permitted him to select the weapons for the soldiers of the 
Cross ! After all then, it is only a sham fight, and it is likely 
to be interminable. It is no more than sport and passtime, be* 
tween the " God of Heaven" and the god of this world," and 
the earth is selected as the theatre of these tragedies, and men 
the victims ! The terms of alliance between the two "High 
contracting powers," are that God should select the soldiers, and 
uitan the weapons ! Now, the amount of money necessary to 
equip and keep in the field, the " divinely authorized expoun- 
ders of the Gospel," and a "learned Ministry," is immense, 
say for these United States alone, not less than thirty millions 
of dollars annually ! When we contemplate the vast machine- 
ry of preparation, necessary to get this part of the Gospel sys- 
tem in operation, (and the Clergy say that they are indispensa- 
ble to the effectual working of the system) and the amount re- 
quired to support an army of idle Clergy, thirty millions yearly 
will not seem too much. The number of Theological Semin- 
iries erected and endowed with professorships ; the expeccei 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIAKITT. 339 

ttf educating the young aspirants to the Ministry, and the en- 
tire maintainnnce of themselves and families during life ; the 
building and furnishing parsonages ; the extra expences incur- 
red in splendid church edifices, more than needfull, and over 
what they should be, to correspond with the simplicity of Chris- 
tianity, as taught in the Holy Scriptures — also the means 
used by the Clergy to obtain money, are as numerous as they are 
ingenious — mite, education, tract, bible, Missionary Preachers, 
aid societies, are all so many agencies and " depots" for the 
accumulation of money ! Add to these and many other means, 
every pulpit on the " Lord's day" resounds with the cry for 
money ! money! and without money souls must perish, the Gos- 
pel become extinct and the Preacher's voice silenced ! There 
is no system in all the world, made more dependent on this "root 
of all evil," than is the success o{ the Gospel ! Money then, 
is the cc operative power" of saving souls ; for if the Clergy 
and a ct learned Ministry," be a part of God's plan of salva- 
tion, then, of consequence, that plan cannot be sufficient with- 
out them, and therefore not effectual to the saving of souls. — - 
Then certainly, God designed that His Gospel should be en- 
grafted on this " root of all evil" in order to produce fruit ! — 
He must have expected that the fruit would partake of the na- 
ture of the root! And so it does; and this is the effects of 
the alliance. Money is made the " main spring" of that mys- 
terious and complicated machinery, called the " plan of salva- 
tion!" Money is the power that moves the world — it makes 
and it destroys empires. It makes traitors, murderers, liars, 
drunkards, gamblers, perjurers and thieves ! Money is admit- 
ted to be the greatest agent of corruption known to the world! 
Now why God should have selected this agent of universal cor- 
ruption, as a main prop to " His Kingdom ," none but the Cler- 
gy who profess to be in His secrets can tell, and yet on Cleri- 
cal assumption it is even so ! 

But, inasmuch as it contradicts every principle of Christi- 
anity, as contained in the word of God, we would denominate 



340 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

such a system, the "gospel of the Clergy," and all its legitimate 
effects, the "power of money!" The Christian system is the 
gospel of Christ, and all its legitimate effects are accomplished 
by the power of God. The weapons of Christian soldiers 
are not carnal, but mighty through God, to the 'pulling down of 
strongholds, and to the bringing down exery high thing, that 
exalteth itself against the know r edge of God, and bringing every 
thought into obedience to Christ Jesus, the Lord." If the citi- 
zens w T ere compelled, in this country, to pay thirty millions an- 
nually, in the form oi a direct tax, to support an unprofitable 
and an endless war, they would soon hurl the administration 
frem power ; for such is the nature of the war carried on by 
the "learned Ministry" against immorality and vice ; for, with 
all their efforts, and boasted success, in proselyting to their dif- 
ferent sects, still the record of crime, after making allowance 
for the increase of population, is greatly on the increase! — 
Thus, after spending thousands of millions to sustain this army 
of idle and " learned Clergy," the strength of the enemy, and 
his power of resistance, instead of being diminished, are great- 
ly increased ! It is, therefore, truely an unsuccessful and an 
unprofitable contest ; and this army should be disbanded, and 
some more effectual means adopted to carry on the centesi 
against the enemy of God and of righteousness, than the fast 
friend of "all evil," money! 

But what more efficient means can be devised ? We would 
recommend a speedy return to the " power of God," and that 
is ihe pure Gospel; for "this is the victory that overcometh 
the world, even our faith." Let men embrace the plain simple 
truth of the Gospel, as written by the Evangelists and Jlpostles, 
as the infallible truths of God, that will not return to Him void, 
but which will prove to all men, the savor o! life, or of death, 
Thus receiving them, they will work in them mightily and effec- 
tually, like leaven in meal. The energy of God's truth, will dif- 
fuse itself throughout the whole man, and make a new creature 
of him." Then the faith of Christians and of the Church, 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 341 

will not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. 
n The word of God is quick and powerful, and sharper than 
a two edged sword." " It is a discerner of the thoughts and 
the intentions of the heart." " We wrestle not against flesh 
and bloGd like carnal warriors, but against principalities and 
powers, and spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore, 
take to you the whole armor of God" not satan's armor, not 
the root of all evil. The professing world has been duped by 
the Clergy, and playing into the enemy's hand, and vainly fight- 
ing him with weapons furnished by himself, from his own 
armory ! No marvel, therefore, if his power continues to in- 
crease in strength during this sham fight I It is high time that 
the real friends of the Gospel should awake from this fatal delu- 
sion of satan, and cast off the armor of darkness, and put on the 
armor of light, the infallible truth of God. That truth, would 
teach them without the aid of a " divinely authorized and learn- 
ed Ministry," that u pure Religion, and undefiled before God, is 
this, to visit the widow and orphan in their afflictions, and to 
administer to the wants of afflicted and destitute humanity." — 
What an amount of wretchedness would be relieved by the ad- 
dition of thirty millions annually to that already appropriated 
for that purpose ! Thinkest thou, Oh vain professor, that such 
acts of benevolence would not be more pleasing in the sight of 
the Great Father of all, and make more converts to Christian- 
ity too, than all the learning and eloquence of an idle and haugh- 
ty Clergy ? The Church would then be to the world what God 
intended it should, a great light and a blessing — one great 
brotherhood, demonstrating by acts of mercy and love, that the 
Gospel is of God, and leads to Godlike deeds, in all that be- 
lieve. The armor of such is thus designated by inspiration of 
God: " For an helmet, the hope of salvation ; for a breast- 
plate, righteousness ; for a shield, faith ; and for a sword, the 
word of God ; and the feet shod with the preparation of the 
Gospel." Practically obeying Christ. Thus armed God would 
dwell among them, and one such could chase a thousand, and 



$42 TXEATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

two put ten thousand of the enemies hosts to flight. What 
were the weapons with which the Holy Apostles effected their 
conquest? Money was never thought of, and as we have 
shewn, rather than introduce such a potent agerit of corruption 
into the Church, they themselves labored with their own hands. 
But it was " by approving themselves as the Ministers of 
Christ ;" and how did they approve themselves ? They did so 
by acting in accordance with the principles avowed and prac- 
ticed by ihcir Lord and King. " In much patience, in afflic- 
tions, in necessities, in distress, in stripes and imprisonments, 
in labors, in watchings, in fastings ; by pureness, by knowl- 
edge, (but not the knowledge of this world) by long suffering? 
by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by lo\e unfeigned ; by the 
word of truth, by the power of Cod, by the armor of righte- 
ousness, on the right hand and on the left; by honor and dis- 
honor, by evil report and good report, as unknown and yet 
well known, as dying and behold we live, (yet not I but Christ 
Hveth in me, for the life I now live, is by faith in the Son of 
God,) as chastened, and not killed; as sorrowful, and yet always 
rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich ; as having nothing, 
yet possessing all things. " These were the weapons with 
which the Holy Apostles combated ihe god of this world. In the 
conduct of these true soldiers of the Cross, we see nothing 
but acts of self-denial and self-sacrifice! They made them- 
selves totally independent oi the weapons and the honors of 
this world ; proving thereby, that the kingdom in which they 
served, was not of this world, and they asked none of its aid, 
but stood opposed to all its policy and all its motives of action; 
and for this determined resistenee on their part, satan pursued 
them with unwearied vengeance through every period of thewr 
lives ; but their faith in the truths taught by the Son of God 
made them invulnerable. Hence, when about to leave this 
theatre of war they triumphantly exclaimed: " We have fought 
a good fight, we have kept the faith, henceforth there is laid 
up for us a crown of righteousness, which the righteous Judge 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 343 

will give unto us at that day" Now if ever pure Christianity 
prospers, her votaries and friends, must pursue the very same 
course as did Christ and his Apostles. They are the Christian 
soldiers examples, and they must follow in their steps, or aban- 
don His cause; for, "whosoever is a friend to the world, is an 
enemy to God !" Obedience to the truth alone can overcome 
the world. 

Every art and every science, have truths peculiar to them- 
selves, and their appropriate means of acquiring a knowledge cf 
them. The mechanical arts have nothing to do with music, 
neither has law with medicine, nor either of them with astron- 
omy ; aad still more foolish would it be for a man to study Rev- 
elation to acquire any of them. But as distinct and as in- 
dependent as these are on each other, still ihey are more ho- 
mogeneous, or alike in their characters, than is Christianity to 
worldly literature ; for they all depend on worldly wisdom for 
-their attainment, and they all are within the grasp of man's 
intellect, independent of Revelation ; but the knowledge of 
Christianity stands alone and unconnected with all other knowl- 
edge ; so much so, that a man may understand all mysteries of 
science and arts, and speak all languages under Heaven, and 
yet remain ignorant of Christianity ; but a man in possession 
of a single volume, which may be purchased for twenty-five 
cents, may be a learned Christian and able to teach others. To 
be a learned man therefore, is very far from being a learned 
Christian, and a man may be a very learned Christian, and 
"wise unto salvation," and yet be in the estimation of the world 
an ignorant man ; yea, in God's estimation, he may be able (o 
instruct many of the learned ministry "undefiled religion !" 
Christianity being then a subject purely of Revelation from 
God, and as the Holy Scriptures contain the whole oi that Rev- 
elation, it follows that the Scriptures alone can teach it ; who- 
soever then, is in the possession ot that volume, and can read 
it, needs not that any man should teach him, for that has 
come to pass which was spoken by the Prophet : " they shall 



344 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

nil be taught of God." It was from the Scriptures that the 
Son of God drew His weapons to repel the attacks of satan, 
It was to the Scriptures that He directed the Jews for proof of 
His divine mission. It was the pure word of God, that Peter 
exhorted Christians to feed upon, as the only healthy nourish- 
ment to promote their spiritual growth. It was to the Scrip- 
tures, as a glass, that James directed believers to look into, in 
order to see their condition. It was the Scriptures that Paul 
directed believers to, as a rule or standard, by which only, it 
was wise in them to measure their attainments ; and he warned 
them of the great folly and danger of pursuing any other course. 
It was for the knowledge of the Scriptures, that Paul so highly 
commended Timothy. This Apostle's letter of instruction to 
Timothy, if read with any thing like impartiality, is all suffi- 
cient to convince the most cautious and timid enquirer of the 
entire sufficiency of the Scriptures. This letter contains a par- 
ticular caution on the very subject of which ,we are now dis- 
cussing. He cautions Timothy against permitting any thing 
to be introduced into the church but the revealed word of God, 
These are his words : "But evil men and seducers shall was 
worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. 9> Now ? 
Timothy was no Apostle, and therefore not inspired ; he knew 
nothing of Christianity but through the instructions imparted 
by the Evangelists and the Apostles, and through the types of 
the law and the prophecies, and was, therefore, as liable to be 
deceived as any other believer, by those who presumed to aspire 
to the office of teacher. How, then, was he to avoid decep- 
tion ? Why, precisely as every other believer is to avoid de- 
ception, and that is by adhering to the written word of truth, 
that cannot err. There was no other way for Timothy to avoid 
deception, nor for any other mortal man J and so Paul directed 
him. " But continue thou in the things which thou hast 
learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast 
learned them." Of whom, did Timothy obtain his instructions- 
From an inspired Apostle. He was* on that account assured 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 346 

of their infallible truth, and that there could be no deception. — 
The Apostle then directs him to the Old Testament, and to the 
teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. "And that from a child 
thou hast known me Scriptures, which are able to make thee 
wise unto salvation through faith which is in Jesus Christ. — 
All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable 
for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in right- 
eousness, that the man of God may be perfect and thoroughly 
furnished unto every good work." 

This testimony of the Apostle is too full and too plain to ad- 
mit of a single doubt. It was only by strictly adhering to the 
literal instructions of the Apostle and the written word, that 
even Timothy could be preserved from deception ! Seeing, 
therefore, that nothing authentic or that is infallibly true, can be 
known of Christianity only from the Scriptures, and seeing that 
there is great danger of deception the moment we leave them, 
where is the necessity of a " learned Ministry ?" 

What promotes deceptions ? Money! " the root of all evil;" 
for it is money that encourages and sustains the Clergy 
and a " learned Ministry." Only remove this root, this tempta- 
tion, and the Scriptures will soon loose all their mysteries, and 
the "order" will no longer insist on their claims! Every man 
may then become a " disciple of Christ indeed," and not in 
appearance only. Godliness will then become a test of mem- 
bership in the church of God, instead of systems of divinity, 
gotten up by the Clergy! " Doting about questions," and 
" disputing about words," is to the Clergy what the "Goddess 
of Diana" was to her shrine-makers of Ephesus. It is by this 
that they have their gains ! Take away these coverings, woven 
by a "learned Ministry," and with which they have veiled the 
teachings of the " Son of God" and of His Apostles, and the 
Holy Scriptures will stand forth before the world in all their 
native simplicity, Godlike unity and truthfulness. 

The unavoidable consequences of" Clerical assumption" are 
to corrupt Christianity ! A few prominent facts as recorded in 



146 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

history, will be sufficient to prove and to illustrate this truth. 
During the period that the church retained her apostolic con- 
stitution, and the Elders were simply overseers and not creed 
makers, the simple word of God, as taught by Christ and Bis 
inspired Apostles, was equally the law for Elders and mem- 
bers ; but so soon as the overseers, taking advantage of the un- 
avoidable ignorance of their brethren, assumed to expound the 
word, and to substitute their expositions in the form of " arti- 
cles of faith," and to insist on them as tests of orthodoxy and 
membership, then the written word ceased to be a revelation to 
the people and a "rule of faith and practice" to the members 
of the church. So soon as this was done " the sun was clothed 
in sackcloth," and the "Heavens were darkened." The Apos- 
tles who were the stars set in the firmament of this Heaven by 
Christ, fell ! Now, the Clergy havin-g obscured the " Sun of 
Righteousness," all kinds of doctrines and questions were in- 
troduced, as fancy and interest dictated ; and with them came 
in strifes, contentions, disputings, hatred, envyings, and every 
evil work; and Godliness then, as now, became only a secon- 
dary consideration with the Clergy ! Each party was indus- 
triously employed in maintaining their different opinions, and 
in making proselytes to them ! The following are a few ex- 
amples of the consequences of a " learned Ministry?" 

In the latter part of the 2d century arose " Tertulion," he 
was a very "learned Bishop," a man of "fine genius" and 
"brilliant elocution," "persuasive oratory," and a man of 
" great research," and the most " learned writer of his age ;" 
but alas, he followed " Montanus" and his opinions, and 
not Christ ! It is said of Tertulion that he was a very " pious 
man," and this may be true, for there are many very pious 
Mohammedans, and no doubt, had he have adhered to the 
simplicity of the Gospel, would have made a pious Christian ; 
but the teachings of Jesus were too plain and too practical 
(or a man of his research, learning and eloquence! Some 
mysteries must be saught after, on which to exhibit his learn- 



T&ZATISE 02* CHRISTIANITY. 347 

ing and his brilliant eloquence ! He thought that the fabulous 
opinions of Bishop Montanus opened a wider field to his fruit- 
ful imagination, for the display of his education and talents. 

The second illustration is found in the person of " Origin," 

another Bishop of the church. This man is at this day looked 

up to by his brother Clergy, as a father in the church, and as 

the greatest luminary of the 3d century ! It is said that his 

learning and deep research was astonishing. He established a 

a school of divinity, a theological seminary, and presided over 

it as Professor of Divinity, with great reputation to himself and 

to the church. This seminary made "learned Ministers" of a 

great number o! young aspirents for Clerical fame; but Origin 

did not " receive the kingdom ol Heaven as a little child," and 

therefore, he never entered into it himself. He had been and 

continued to be a disciple of the Heathen philosopher Plato, 

and he loved his old master a little better than he loved "Jesus 

the crucified." Plato was a learned man of this world, and 

more honorable than the carpenter and the " Jewish peasant." 

By Origin the plain doctrines of Christ were Platonized. He 

too, made the speculations of Plato, the key to the Scriptures! 

Plato had taught that none but the souls of great heroes and 

philosophers went to Heaven immediately after death ; whereas 

the souls of the rest of mankind remained in an intermediate 

place, where they underwent a process of purgation ! From 

Plato and his disciple Origin, came the doctrine of purgatory and 

what is now called Universalism. Another of Plato's doctrines 

was, that in order to purify the soul in this life Tor the next, men 

must seclude themselves from all intercourse with the world, and 

afflict their bodies with severe fastings and pennance, and 

spend their lives in contemplation. Hence, recluses or hermits, 

became very numerous; and these, finding it rather uncomfortable 

living alone, formed themselves into communities, and from these 

we have the Monastic order and the nunneries of the present day. 

Now, this doctrine of Plato is founded on ignorance of human 

nature ; for an active life is essential to health and virtue, and 



348 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

neither one or the other can long be maintained without it; and 
so those monasteries and nunneries became sinks of moral de- 
gradation, and on the same principles the Clergy abstained 
from marriage, and this too in the face of the Apostle's express 
declaration, that "marriage is honorable for all," and that "for- 
bidding to marry is a doctrine of devils'," however the Clergy 
of Plato and Origin found sufficient compensation in the confes- 
sional chair and in nunneries. We say the Clergy of Plato and 
Origin, for they (Plato and Origin) ruled the faith of the church, 
and Christ was completely supplanted. This was the kind of 
Christianity taught by this Right Rev. learned Bishop, "Doctor 
of Divinity," and "Professor of Theology," swarms of like 
"learned Ministers" issued from his "Theological Seminary. ? ' 
It must not, however, be thought that all this inovation was 
introduced without a struggle ; not so, for there were still men 
in the 3d century, who continued to think that God was wiser 
than men, and that He understood what was best for His own 
household, and cared more for it too than even the Philosophers 
did ! Such men contended that it was dangerous to introduce 
any thing into the church, save the word of God. With them, 
the voice, the cautions and entreaties of the Apostles, had not 
quite died away ! Up to the time of Origin the parties for and 
against a learned Ministry, were nearly equally ballanced ; but 
the great popularity and the efforts of Origin, in making learned 
Ministers and sending them abroad, and having them appointed 
to high and lucrative stations in the church, decided the con- 
test in favor of learning. After the Clergy had succeeded in 
persuading the people (who were then necessarily and una- 
voidably dependent on them for the " bread of life," by reason 
of the scarcity of the Scriptures — none having access to them 
but the Clergy,) that a learned Ministry was essential to the 
welfare of the church. Then the deluded and betrayed people 
said give us a learned Ministry. Well, they got a learned 
Ministry, and with them tyranical masters beside, as the future 
history of the Clergy amply proved. 



TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 349 

The 4th century produced another prodigy of learning, in the 
person of Augustine. And what did ihis very learned Bishop 
do to promote undefiled Christianity ? Did he ec enter the 
kingdom of Heaven as a little child?" No, verily; but he did 
enter it with his mind and heart baptized with the philosophy 
of Aristotle! And Augustine lugged that Hethen's specula- 
tions into the church, and with Aristotle came the doctrine of 
ic fate," better known in the Protestant church under the name 
of '•' election and reprobation," and the " doctrine of grace, so 
full g> comfort to the sinner.'' This doctrine of Aristotle has 
been most ably illustrated and defended by that verylerned and 
Rev. Doctor of Divinity, John Calvin, and so precious was it te 
that learned reformer, Dr. Martin Luther, the Monk of the order 
of Augustine, (not of Christ,). that he repudiated an Apostle to 
preserve it. St. James, not having the fear of Aristotle before 
his eyes, and not foreseeing the advent of the learned Augus- 
tine, had the temerity to think differently from them both ! — 
Luther also retained the Popish doctrine of the real presence, 
on which is founded the Priesthood of the Papal church. 

From the 3d century forward, we see the miserable conse- 
quences resulting from a learned Ministry. Plato and Aris- 
totle had completely re-modled the once Christian church, and 
they were now the master spirits under whose auspices, the 
Clergy ruled her with a "rod of iron" These Reverned 
Princes formed alliances with the disciples of the old Philoso- 
phers, they stipulating to enter the church on condition of be- 
ing permitted to retain that part of their master's speculations 
which they thought preferable to Christianity, supposing as 
Origin and Augustine did, that all the systems blended to- 
gether would make one complete system ! These learned 
Ministers no longer wielded the " sword of the Spirit" in their 
controversies, but the weapons of the schools, such as Plato 
and Aristotle had taught them — subtile and metaphysical rea- 
soning, sophistry and logical syllogisms. Their only object 
being yictory, the means of obtaining it whether true or false, 



350 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

was of no consequence. Their systems must be maintained : 

We have spoken before of the corruption flowing from the 
claim of their " divine authority to expound God's word ;" we 
there exhibited the true characters of the order of Clergy, 
sometimes by way of pre-eminence, called the Sacred Order, 
and truly their deeds of blood and murder, fire and sword, lies 
and deceit, proved them to have been sacred to the prince of (he 
bottomless pit ! 

Well, it was these proud, haughty, dissolute and blood- 
thirsty tyrants, that composed the great councils convened to 
decide on Christian faith and Christian practice ! 

But self-interest is fruitful in resources to sustain itself; 
therefore, the Clergy plead that the Scriptures being originally 
written in a language no*v understood but by very few, and 
therefore, the Ministers must understand that language! Now 
they must, and they do know this inference to be grossly false : 
for, if ic be true, not one in a thousand of those dubbed a 
learned Ministry, are competent ! But very few of them know 
any Greek or Hebrew at all, and fewer still know* either, any 
better than a clown knows his mother tongue; and who would 
apply to a clown for the meaning of a difficult and contested 
word or sentence in the English language ? More of them, 
however, do know- a smattering of Latin, and with Latin the 
Scriptures have nothing to do, any more than has the French, 
German or English. As they are all alike translations from the 
Greek, and the Greek of the Old Testament is from the He- 
brew, so that Latin is of no more use for the understanding of 
the Scriptures than the German ; and more than that, it is not 
by one-half so useful to a teacher of Christianity, for there are 
no Latins in this country, or any where else, to be instructed. 
But there are a great many Germans ; and yet Dutch or Ger- 
man makes no part of the learned Ministers education. And 
why is it so ? Simply because it is spoken by common people, 
and therefore it is not genieel and fashionable ! 

U the English version of the Holy Scriptures correct ? We 



TSEAT1SE ON CHRISTIANITY. 351 

have every reason for believing that they are. First — We knoNT 
that they were translated by a number of the most learned men 
that England could produce, and at a time too when sectarian 
influence was but little felt. Predestination and Armenism 
were the only two conflicting powers, and a portion of both 
were employed in the translation from the original Greek. — 
One, therefore, was a defence against the other. Second — 
The present translation has stood the test of three hundred 
years, and that too amidst the violent strifes of contending 
sects, and none have invalidated or called in question the gene- 
ral correctness of the present version. Some critics have 
thought that some few verbal amendments might be made \o 
advantage, but when made they would not alter the sense of 
the sentence, but perhaps present it in a more expressive man- 
ner. Third — All the creeds and the confessions of faith of all 
the different sects, are based on the present translation, and they 
are all defended by it; all the angry controversies of the hostile 
Clergy of hostile sects, are conducted on the assumed correct- 
ness of ihe English version ; all the discourses of the learned 
and unlearned ministry from the pulpit, are predicated on its 
correctness. True, sometimes a man desirous to let his ignor- 
ant hearers know that he has looked into a lexicon, will venture 
to tell us the meaning of a word or two in the Greek, but they 
very seldom venture so far from shore ! Sometimes a Reverned 
Professor, who has been teaching youno: aspirents their Greek 
alphabet, will propose a little criticism, but these attempts are 
so rare that they are not worth naming. Fourth — We have 
the testimony of the most learned men, such as had minds of 
pre-eminent capacity for the acquirement of languages, and who 
had devoted long lives in diligently collecting and comparing 
the various translations in many different languages, with the 
English translation, and then comparing the English with the 
original Greek and with the various idioms or ways of speak- 
ing and writing the Greek, at the time that Christ taughi, anil 
at the time the Evangelists and the Apostles wrote. After.all 



352 TREATISE ON CHRISTIANITY. 

this immense labor and diligent research by these truly learned 
men, the conclusion they arrived at is this : That a more cor- 
rect translation cannot be expected or made, than is our present 
English version of the Holy Scriptures. But it may be asked 
how could the Scriptures have been translated without learned 
men ? Not at all ! But does that afford the slightest argument 
in favor of a learned Ministry? By no means ; for the Scrip- 
tures being once correctly translated, needs it no more forever ! 
If the Scriptures, like the liturgy of the Papal church, was still 
in an unknown tongue, then a learned Ministry would have a 
reasonable excuse; but as it is not so, such a plea is an imposi- 
tion, and it has no foundation in truth or reason ; it is destruc- 
tive of the purity of the Gospel, and opposed to the plain letter 
of revelation, and it also induces people to neglect the Holy 
Scriptures as a rule of faith and practice. It is demonstrable, 
therefore, that the claims of the Clergy and the reign of Christ 
are hostile powers. 

We have done the best we could. That it might have been 
done much better we have no doubt ; but that the leading doc- 
trines supported in these pages can be invalidated from God's 
word, we very much doubt — yea, we are confident they cannot. 



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